Percy Jackson, Lord of Time
by anonymous.crow
Summary: Annabeth professes her love to Luke rather than Percy, making for a very different outcome. Rated M for language, mentions if rape, and possible smut further down the road. Eventual Pertemis. For those of you that are new, the story gets better from the start. Promise!
1. Chapter 1 - Betrayal

**A/N: Hey, guys, this is my first fic so bear with me. I'm not sure how often updates will be. Anywho, a lot of this first Chapter is taken directly from The Last Olympian. Don't worry, not all of this story will be like this, this is just to set the plot. I DO NOT OWN PJO OR ANY OF THE CHARACTERS! Make sure to review, I could use all the help I can get. Thanks!**

 **Chapter 1**

It wasn't a deep cut, but Luke howled. His eyes glowed like lava. An aura of energy surrounded Luke, growing brighter and brighter. I shut my eyes and felt a force like a nuclear explosion blister my skin and crack my lips.

It was silent for a long time.

When I opened my eyes, I saw Luke sprawled at the hearth. On the floor around him was a blackened circle of ash. Kronos's scythe had liquified into molten metal and was trickling into the hearth, which now glowed like a blacksmith's furnace.

Luke's left side was bloody. His eyes were open—blue eyes, like they used to be. His breath was a deep rattle.

"Good . . . blade," he croaked.

I knelt next to him. Annabeth limped over with Grover's support. They both had tears in their eyes.

Luke gazed at Annabeth. "You knew, I almost killed you, but you knew . . ."

"Shhh." Her voice trembled. "You were a hero at the end, Luke. You'll go to Elysium.

He shook his head weakly. "Think . . . rebirth. Try for three times. Isles of the Blest.

Annabeth sniffled. "You always pushed yourself too hard."

He held up his charred hand. Annabeth took it in hers, pulling it close.

"Did you . . ." Luke coughed and his lips glistened red. "Did you love me?"

Annabeth sniffed and glanced at me. I stared back, drinking in the fact that she was still here. The world was collapsing and the only thing I cared about was that she was alive. However, to my dismay, I saw a brief pang of guilt in her eyes before she turned back to Luke.

"Yes," she said through tears. "I did love you, I do Luke." She turned to me. "Percy, you are like a brother to me. But you could never be what Luke was to me. That is irreplaceable."

I stepped back in horror. With every word, the crack in my heart only deepened. How could she say such things? After all we've been through? After all Luke has done to her? After all that has transpired, I was led on by a lie?

My thoughts were interrupted when she turned back to Luke.

"One . . ." he coughed. "One last time."

Annabeth took his head in her hands, and slowly, torturously pressed her lips to his. The kiss didn't deepen, but seemed to go on forever. I felt the image branding itself into my head. The girl I loved. Kissing Luke Castellan. My fears have been realized.

After what seemed like hours, Luke's grip slackened. His hands fell to the floor. His head lolled over. Luke Castellan was no more.  
Annabeth looked over at me. Tears streaming down my face, I refused to catch her eyes.

"Percy," she started. "I–"

She was interrupted by the gods arriving in their full war regalia, thundering into the throne room and expecting a battle. What they found were Annabeth and I, standing over the body of a broken half-blood, the dim, warm light of the hearth illuminating the tears on both of our faces.

"Percy," my father called, awe in his voice. "What . . . what is this?"

Pushing down my own emotion, I turned to the gods. Annabeth was right, Luke died a hero. I must honor his sacrifice, not let my spite get in the way. I must remain strong.

"We need a shroud," I announced, my voice cracking. "A shroud for the son of Hermes."

 **I hope you guys like it! I'll update as often as possible. Thanks guys**


	2. Chapter 2 - Godhood

The Three Fates themselves took Luke's body. One of them looked at me, and my life quite literally flashed before my eyes. I saw myself being lowered into my own grave. It was unnerving, to say the least. I could see why even the mighty Zeus was nervous around them. Hermes said his heartfelt goodbye to his son. As much as I hated Luke, I had to acknowledge that was a hero in the end. I shed real tears as he was carried out of the throne room.

Across the room, Annabeth collapsed to the ground. I was concerned for a moment, but thought nothing of it when Apollo healed her injuries. The next few hours were a blur. I had Zeus light the top of the Empire State Building blue, so my mother and Paul would know I made it out alright. Grover and Thalia stumbled in with a few Cyclopes amid cheers. Grover had stayed behind to try and help Thalia get out from under the statue of Hera. He must have gotten help from a few Cyclopes once the sky bridge reformed. Grover looked terrified, but I just laughed, knowing he'd be alright.

Suddenly, I heard the blast of conch horns. I turned to see Tyson barreling towards me, the whole of Poseidon's army. Once we were all done congratulating each other, the conch shells blasted a second time. In strode Poseidon, in full battle armor.

"Tyson!" he cried. "Well done my son. And Percy," his face turned stern. "I even forgive you for sitting on my throne. You have saved Olympus!" He hugged me, and I'll admit it made me tear up a little. For that one moment, I forgot all about Annabeth. But when he released me, I remembered again.

"Dad—" I started.

"Shhh," he cut me off. "No hero is above fear Percy."

"POSEIDON!" Zeus yelled, leaving me hopeless to correct my father's mistake. "Are you too proud to join us in council?"

"I would be honored, Lord Zeus."

Zeus began congratulating the gods and heroes of Olympus. It was all a blur to me. When Grover became a member of the Council of the Cloven Elders, though, I cheered wildly. Then came Annabeth. She became the Grand Architect for the rebuilding of Olympus. Although happy for her, I looked away when she tried to meet my eyes. I wasn't quite ready to face my emotions yet.

"PERSEUS JACKSON," my father yelled. All talking in the chamber died down. I walked to the center of the room, bowed to Zeus, and knelt at my father's feet.

"Rise, my son." I stood uneasily.

"A great hero must be rewarded," Poseidon started. "Is there anyone here that would deny that my son is deserving?"

Silence.

"The council agrees," boomed Zeus. "Perseus Jackson, you may have any gift from the Gods."

"Any–" I stammered. "Any gift?"

Zeus nodded. "I believe I know what you will ask. Immortality. Godhood. The greatest gift of all. The Fates will determine your domain, and your power. We have not bestowed this gift on a mortal hero in centuries, but, Perseus Jackson—if you wish it—it will be yours."

"A god?" I asked, stunned.

"Yes, a god," Zeus said, annoyed. "With the full approval of the council of course. All in favor?"  
I looked around as every member raised their hand. As I looked around the chamber, my eyes fell upon Annabeth. She wouldn't meet my eyes. I remembered how scared I was when I thought she was going to join Artemis and become a Hunter. I was terrified. I realize now that she will never see me in the same light. I tore my eyes away, and looked at the Three Fates, huddled together. I could avoid everything they had shown to me. Aging, death, the grave. Once upon a time, I would have declined, but no more. The choice is not a hard one.

I turned back to Zeus. "I accept," I said. "I accept your gift of immortality."


	3. Chapter 3 - Domains

**Sorry for the short chapter and the long wait, I'll try to update this story more often.**

 **You can get rewarded with an extra bonus long chapter**

The Olympians collectively raised their hands, an orb of power sprouting from each one. They got bigger and bigger, growing from the size of a basketball to over 10 feet wide. Just as the gods were about to consume Percy with these orbs, a loud "bang" was heard.

"STOP." Three voices as one cried with enough force to stop the Gods in their tracks. The Fates had reappeared.

"Stop," they said again. "This one is different. The normal rituals will not suffice. He is destined to be so much more than an attendant of Poseidon. We will bestow domains upon this one ourselves."

Instead of orbs of power, the room darkened, and everyone froze. Clotho stepped forward first.

"It is I," she said, "who spins the thread of life. As a mortal, you were loyal to a fault, willing to give your life for that of a friend. For that, we grant you the domain of Comradery."

She snapped her fingers, and Percy began to glow red. Next, Atropos stepped forward.

"I am the inevitable," she whispered. "I am the one who cuts the thread of life, the one you have managed to avoid. As a mortal, you were a master of the sword, rivaling both Hyperion and Kronos. For that, we grant you the domain of Swordplay."

She, too, snapped her fingers, and a bronze glow accompanied the red around Percy's body. Finally, Lachesis stepped forward. "I am she who measures the thread of life, she who decides how much time each mortal spends on this Earth. The Fates have decided that the only way to vanquish Kronos forever is to grant his domain to another. Because you have vanquished Kronos, we have agreed to grant you the domain of Time."

She snapped her fingers as well, and a silver glow joined the other colors around Percy. The fates began to chant as one, and Percy's limp form was raised of the ground. He hung suspended as the Fates chanted, unmoving. After about a minute, the Fates abruptly stopped. Percy remained suspended for another few seconds, glowing bright white. Then he violently fell to the floor of the throne room. The fates stepped back. "It is done," they said, before vanishing.

Newly unfrozen, Poseidon ran to his fallen son. Percy groaned as he struggled too his feet. He looked around. _Why is everybody smaller?_

After realizing Percy was alright, Poseidon let out a hearty laugh. "Percy!" He yelled. "My, you've grown up so quick!" He walked away, continuing to be the only one laughing at his own joke in a quiet throne room. Percy looked down to see the transformation his body had gone through. He was a great deal taller, and a great deal stronger. He could see muscles bulging through his shirt and shorts. Built like a God. He didn't know what his face looked like, he could get an idea by looking at the Olympians. Aphrodite was downright drooling, and even Artemis looked impressed. _Oh man,_ thought Percy, _I could get used to this._

"Well, Percy," Zeus boomed, snapping him out of his stupor. "What domains have the Fates given you?"

"You-" Percy stammered. "You didn't hear them?"

"What are you going on about?" Zeus laughed nervously. "The Fates simply said that they would be the ones to bestow your domains, and then the next instant, you collapsed and they disappeared."

 _Interesting. The Fates must have hid it from the council for a reason. Time is a powerful domain, after all. Maybe I should wait until I've gained full power and mastery over my abilities, in case Zeus sees me as a threat._

"Well I don't know," lied Percy. "They gave me a long talk about how I was to find my domains as I got more comfortable with godhood. So for now, I guess I'm just a God of Nothing."

"Well," said Zeus, "that settles it. Now, we must not forget that Olympus has been saved! Kronos has been vanquished! What can we do now but celebrate!"

Suddenly the whole group was transported to a huge room. It was all decked out for a party, ready for Gods and demigods alike to just have a good time. In no time, people had fanned out in groups, talking with whomever they pleased. Percy walked around on his own, not in the mood for revels. He was deep in thought. Not only had he lost the lives of many campmates, but he also lost the love of his life today. _Godhood doesn't solve all problems_ , he realized.

Therefore, he just milled around, took a shot of Nectar every so often, and tried to avoid Annabeth. However, he failed to pay attention and ran into someone that may have been worse.

"So," Athena said interestedly. "You've accepted Godhood. What were your motives."

Percy smiled weakly. "Everybody wants to be a God."

Athena didn't waver. "You're lying. Just like when you told Zeus you didn't know your domains."

Percy stepped back, nervous. "What?"

Athena's eyes narrowed. "I know a liar when I see one. Don't worry. If anyone can figure out your domains it's –"

"Is there a problem, Lady Athena?" a cold voice remarked from behind Percy. Percy felt a hand on his shoulder. To his surprise, he turned to see Lady Artemis.

Athena, taken aback, replied. "Not at all, Lady Artemis."

Artemis let out a thin lipped smile. "Good. As much as I despise men, there is no denying that Perseus is a noble and good hero. He has been through a lot today, as we both know. Save the interrogation for another time."

Athena walked off in a huff. "I think you're done for the night, Perseus," said Artemis. "You'll find your palace is already built. It automatically sets itself up in the place you most desire, or the place most attuned to your domain. Just snap your fingers and you can be off."

"Why are you helping me?" Percy asked. "I'm a dude, and last we met I wasn't exactly your favorite.

Artemis turned. "After what you have done today, I've decided you are one of the few decent men that walk this Earth. I suggest you keep it that way by not asking too many questions. Have a nice night." She, too, walked away.

Sighing, Percy snapped his fingers.

He instantly found himself teleported to a palace. It was still blank, practically empty, just waiting to be customized. Percy looked down, to realize he was floating over New York City. Right over the headquarters of Time Magazine. _Very funny._ He was barely awake enough to conjure himself a bed before passing out. For the first time in years, he dreamed of absolutely nothing.


	4. Chapter 4 - New Powers, A Fight

**You guys are lucky, I'm really cranking them out. Midyear Exams are coming up though, so no promises as to whether it will keep up at this rate. Enjoy!**

Percy woke up to bright light shining through his bedroom window. He groaned and looked around. Something was odd. His Palace was different. It looked almost exactly like his Cabin back at Camp Half Blood. It was just way, way bigger. It came equipped with a huge swimming pool that had a glass bottom, as well as a diving board and a water slide leading into it. Percy looked around in amazement. _Damn. If I did that in my sleep, what can I do now?_

A few minutes later, Percy was exploring a mansion of his own creation, complete with an arena, an archery range, and an obstacle course. He decided it wasn't time to explore quite yet. Even more exciting than his palace were his new powers, namely his domain over time. He snapped his fingers and found himself out of his pajamas and into his clothes. He smiled. _I could get used to this._ He grabbed Riptide and teleported to the most remote location he could think of. The deserts of New Mexico.

 _I can't imagine I'll run into anyone here, let's see what these time powers can do._ Percy set his feet, braced himself, stuck out his arm, and yelled "SLOW TIME!" Nothing happened. Percy laughed to himself. "Well now I just feel stupid." He thought back to the Battle of Manhattan. _What did Kronos do? He was probably the inspiration the fates drew off of for my powers, so what did he do?_ One memory came into his mind. He remembered a dream, in which Kronos had frozen many of his minions, trapped them in time. He remembered how Luke fought him, and he lost control for a brief moment.

 _He didn't have full power_ , Percy realized. _And neither do I. I'm still a new God, and I don't know how to use my power. Time isn't going to come as naturally as Swordplay. I need to start small._

He saw a bird fly overhead. Concentrating hard, he extended his hand towards it. After a second, it froze. Percy smiled, held it for a few seconds, then let it go. He continued the practice for the next few hours, catching and releasing various things. He got a little bored of it. He decided to go back to Olympus. _It will take training like this to strengthen my power over time,_ he decided. _I just need practice._

He flashed back to his palace. That's when he had an idea. _My power over time needed practice. But what about swordplay? I was already godly at that, but how have my powers increased?_ He walked into his arena, and conjured up a dummy. He immediately went to work, slashing and hacking, disemboweling. He frowned. This wasn't going to do. He needed an opponent. Maybe he would find one on Olympus. He flashed there.

He decided to just walk a little. It was Olympus, he was bound to find something. Sure enough, he came upon Apollo and Artemis having a rather heated argument. Apollo had one of his lackies driving the sun today, Percy guessed. He kept his distance and didn't listen in. After a few minutes, he saw Apollo flash away and Artemis storm off towards him.

She saw him staring. "What are you looking at, Perseus?" She spat his name like it was an insult.

"Nothing, milady, I just noticed you and Apollo arguing. I was wondering if you'd like a way to get your anger out."

The anger didn't leave her voice as she spat, "I'm listening." Percy swallowed his anxiety. _I'm a god, what's the worst that could happen?_

"I want to fight you." Artemis looked at him in surprise.

"You want . . ." Artemis scoffed. "You want to fight me? What could you possibly hope to gain by fighting me?"

"I was one of the best swordsmen of my age as a demigod. Now that I'm a God, I want to see how I match up."

Artemis thought about it. "I'll tell you what. I will fight you under one condition. You need to beat Ares in a duel. I hate that guy, and there's nothing I'd like to see more than him being humiliated by an upstart new God like yourself."

Percy interjected. "Hey, I'm not—"

Artemis held up her hand, silencing him. "Yes, you are. Fight Ares, win, and then I'll fight you. Do we have a deal?"

Percy thought for a minute before breaking the silence. "It's a deal. Where is he?"

"Down the road, sharpening his sword."

Percy smiled. "I know you hate me and all, but you might wanna tag along. This will be fun to watch."

Artemis looked at him a bit strangely, then sighed. "Alright. You go ahead, I won't be far behind."

It wasn't long before he came across Ares. Ares looked up and smiled. "Well if it isn't Jackson. How's the God life treat—"

"Hey Ares remember when I beat you in a duel when I was a 12 year old demigod?" Percy asked quickly.

Ares nostrils flared. "You dare—"

"And when Aphrodite tried to make a move on me, based on the fact that I'm better looking than you are?"

His sunglasses began to melt away. "Jackson, I'm warning—"

"How about when you tried to get the Gods to go to war but got stopped by two twelve year olds and a satyr? That's pathetic. Not to mention you were a puppet of Kronos."

"JACKSON, I AM GOING TO CRUSH YOU LIKE A—"

"I have a better idea," Percy said. "A duel. One on one, sword on sword. Just like old times. That way you can finally prove that you're better than me. In front of all the other Gods."

Ares pondered a bit. "I don't want to make any deals with you, Jackson. It would be better to crush you now. What's in it for me?"

Percy thought it over. "Well first off, if you crush me now you have the other Olympians to answer to. They seem to like me. And second, if you need a sweetener, if you win, I will be your slave for a day."

Ares liked that. He liked that a lot. "Fine. Meet me in the Arena, tomorrow, at noon. I'll crush you once, then give you a day of torture. I like the sound of this."

Percy held out his hand. "It's settled then?"

Ares took it. Percy had to fight back a wince, his hand was scalding hot. While Percy remained stone-faced, Ares gave him a grotesque smile. "It's settled," he whispered before flashing away.

Percy sighed, and turned to see Artemis smiling. "You happy?" Percy yelled to her.

"Oh yes," Artemis replied. "The way I see it, some pig headed male gets crushed either way. I win."

Percy sighed, walking over to her. "Why do you hate me so much? I thought I had proven myself to you at Mount Othrys. And if not there, at the Battle of Manhattan. I've saved you multiple times, even if you're too prideful to admit it."

Artemis stepped back, taken aback. "Now listen here, boy—"

"No," Percy cut her off. "I won't. Not until you show me a little bit more respect. Your hate roots solely from the fact that I am a man, we are all the same, we hate women. But that's just not true. Women hurt men too." Percy noticed a tear streaming down his cheek, but wiped it away. He looked back at Artemis, angry and embarrassed.

Artemis's eyes softened a bit. "Percy," she began. But before she could finish, Percy had flashed away.

Back at his palace, Percy took a running leap into his pool. He sat at the bottom for an hour, looking down at New York City in meditation. Once he was finished, he jumped out of the pool. _Time is being wasted,_ he decided. _I'm done feeling sorry for myself. I need to prepare for my fight with Ares._ Determined, he flashed away.

 **Aw shit he's still got the feels about Annabeth. But yeah, I figured it was about time for a fight scene. Read and review, let me know what you think about the story so far. Predictions, Suggestions, and Pairing Requests are all welcome. Until next time!**

 **~A**


	5. Chapter 5 - Deceptive Duel

**Well guys, midyears are over, and I've caught pneumonia. What better way to spend a sick day then writing am I right? Anywho, sorry if this chapter is a bit off, my higher brain function is just about shot. Read, review, and enjoy!**

* * *

 **Artemis**

Artemis stood as Percy flashed away. She was conflicted. She liked him, one of the most tolerable males she had ever met. It didn't help that he made valid points. She could see it in his eyes, no matter how much he tried to hide it. Annabeth's rejection shook him to the core. _I almost feel bad for making him fight Ares,_ Artemis mused to herself. She shook herself out of her stupor. _The boy challenged me. This is just a way for him to prove himself, nothing more._ She sighed to herself. Nothing more.

 **Annabeth**

Annabeth sat alone in the Athena cabin. She hadn't seen Percy since he accepted godhood. She felt empty. Her one love, Luke Castellan had been taken from her, and her best friend, Percy Jackson, had abandoned her. She sat in silence, struggling with herself. _It's not your fault,_ one side of her said. _You can't change your feelings. They are what they are, and Percy needs to realize that._ The other side disagree. _You're right, you can't change your feelings. But it's your fault for leading him on, acting like you loved him when your heart was only with Luke. Wouldn't you be hurt? Angry?_ Annabeth continued to sit, and after a few moments, tears were running down her cheeks.

 **Percy**

Percy appeared at Mount Saint Helens. He shook off the memories associated with the place and walked right in. "Hephaestus?" he shouted. "I have a request." Hephaestus flashed into existence, sweat pouring down his brow, wearing a pair of overalls.

"What is it, boy?" He asked, gruffly. "I certainly didn't expect to see you here, ever again."

Percy winced. "Yeah, don't remind me. I'm here because I need a favor."

Hephaestus raised an eyebrow. "And why should I do anything for you?"

"Two reasons," Percy smiled. "First, I believe you still owe me for the telchine incident. Second, it involves Ares getting the living shit beat out of him."

"I'm listening."

"I need a sword. Maybe some armor, if you have the time. Normally I wouldn't come to you with this, but Ares and I are dueling tomorrow and I need some new hardware, because I know this guy is going to have a trick or two up his sleeve."

Hephaestus thought about it. "I could make a respectable sword, as well as armor," he muttered to himself. He turned to Percy. "Do you plan to make this sword your symbol of power?"

"Oh Gods no," Percy shook his head. "I want to wait until I have knowledge of all of my domains first. I'd much rather my symbol of power reflect my power. I'm just looking for a respectable sword, with the weight and length of Riptide.

Hephaestus thought some more. "Alright. I'll do it, with one condition. When you need your symbol of power forged, come to me."  
"Done." Percy replied immediately, shaking Hephaestus's hand.

"I'm going to need to see Riptide, just so I can get the dimensions."

"Oh, that reminds me, would you mind giving me a metal rod of Riptide's weight and length up front? I want to be able to train as if I have my other sword already."

Hephaestus nodded. "I'll be back in a few."

A few moments later, Hephaestus came back with Riptide and a metal bar. "Here you are, Percy. Train hard. I'll make sure your sword and armor are high quality. I haven't seen Ares get his ass kicked in a good while."

"I'll try my best, sir. Thanks again." Percy flashed away.

Percy steeled his nerves, standing in front of Athena's palace. This was probably one of the last places he wanted to be, but it was a necessary risk. Swallowing his fear, he knocked on the door. "Enter," he heard Athena yell. He walked into probably the most magnificent building he'd ever seen. The architecture was amazing, of course, considering Athena was the owner. But this palace made his look like a shack. His eyes feel upon Athena, who was scowling at him. "What do you want?" She snapped.

Percy sighed, walking over to her. "Look, I don't like you, and you definitely don't like me. However, I can think of one person that we both hate more than each other, and that's Ares. We're set to duel in the arena, tomorrow at noon. I want to kick his ass and I'm sure you would like to see his ass beat. So will you help me?'

Athena sighed as well. "Fine. I see no reason not to."

"Great," Percy replied. "I assume you designed the arena. Considering your hate for Poseidon, I also assume that you made it impossible to detect water anywhere close to the vicinity."

Athena almost smiled. "Has godhood given you a brain?"

Percy continued, biting back a retort. "However, I also realize that you need to have water on hand for safety measures, or the Arena would be burning quite often. So I'd like to know where it is, so I can use it."

At that, Athena winced. "Yeah, no water. Wrong about that one. I got Hecate's help in fireproofing everything, so it's not something we need to worry about."

"Oh." Percy felt stupid. "I'm sorry to bother you then, Lady Athena. I suppose I'll see you tomorrow." He flashed away, unaware of Athena's smile.

 **Artemis**

Artemis was getting a bit worried. There were only 3 hours left until the duel. Ares was telling everyone, practically putting billboards up, advertising how he was going to "kick the punk's ass." Perseus was nowhere to be found. _Where is he?_

 **Percy**

Back at Mount Saint Helens, Percy marveled at his new sword. It balanced just like Riptide, and looked about as deadly. The only difference was that it was gold rather than bronze. "What's it made of?" asked Percy.

"Imperial gold," replied Hephaestus. "It has the properties of Celestial Bronze, it's just a fair bit rarer. Luckily, I have plenty of it in my possession. I imbued this one with magical properties just like Riptide's, only difference being this one writes in red ink."

Percy capped the sword.

"What will you name it?" Hephaestus asked.

Percy inspected the sword. "I think I'll call it Countercurrent."

"A fine name," Hephaestus nodded.

Satisfied, Percy pocketed Countercurrent. "And the armor?"

Hephaestus smiled. "I'm proud of this one." He handed Percy a gauntlet.

Puzzled, Percy asked, "Is this it?"

Hephaestus laughed. "Put it on."

The gauntlet was Celestial Bronze, and light as a feather. It almost felt like nothing as he moved his hand around.

"Now flick your wrist," said Hephaestus. Percy looked at him quizzically. "You know, like that spider guy. The Human Spider?"

"Spiderman," Percy corrected him. He flicked his wrist, and was surprised to see a jet of water come out.

"It's one of my better ideas," explained Hephaestus. "Water is stored in the gauntlet, so there are small amounts. However, the gauntlet very quickly pulls and condenses moisture in the air. So while you won't be able to use it if you don't have access to moisture, but in any other case, it's incredibly useful."

Percy was impressed, but still confused. "But I thought you were making me armor?"

Hephaestus just kept smiling. "Oh, but I did. The armor is voice activated. To set an activation key, just say: 'voice command' and then the word you want to use. I'd make it a word you don't say too often, and won't accidentally say."

Percy thought for a moment, then said "Voice command: Anaklusmos." The gauntlet sprang to life, extending up his arm, across his body, and over his head. He could see through a clear visor, and breathe through a few air holes, but everything else was encased in this armor. Percy marveled at it for a few seconds, then looked at Hephaestus. "This is amazing," he said.

Hephaestus laughed. "I'm glad. You can shoot water from both wrists now, just so you know. The armor is made from Imperial Gold and Celestial Bronze alloy. It greatly increases strength, making it almost impenetrable. Plus, it looks really fucking cool. It's relatively weightless, almost as if you aren't wearing any armor at all. And the helmet is designed to intimidate. You can't see it now, but if you get the chance I'd look in the mirror.

Percy took a mental check. "I don't think I have time. It's three hours to the duel, and I think I need time to train with my new sword and armor. Anaklusmos." His armor shrunk back into a gauntlet. He grasped Hephaestus's forearm and Hephaestus did the same to him. "See you there, cousin?" Percy asked.

Hephaestus smiled rather diabolically. "You know it. Later, Percy."

Percy flashed back to his palace for training.

 **Artemis**

Artemis refused to admit it to herself, but she was getting worried. It was 11:30, and Percy was still nowhere to be found. Is he asleep? Did he get lost? Was he too scared? Is he just a fucking idiot? Artemis sighed. He's a fucking idiot. She checked her internal clock again. 11:50 already? What the fuck? Ares had been lounging in the arena since 11:15, wearing his "iconic" Spartan Armor along with a sword and shield. and Percy just wasn't there. Her stupor was broken as Percy ran in.

 **Percy**

"I'm not late, am I?" asked Percy. He looked disheveled, as if he just rolled out of bed. He was even wearing his bathrobe. He figured the lower the expectations, the better. He looked at all the confused gods in the audience and gulped. That's a lot of gods. Trying not to let it affect him, he turned to Ares. "Sorry to keep you waiting, big guy. I overslept." In reality, Percy had slept about 4 hours between training sessions. Thanks to his godly strength, he was still revitalized. However, he was a lot more nervous than he let on. _I faced Kronos,_ he reminded himself. _I can beat his lackey again._

Ares, forever cocky, smiled. "You actually showed up? I'm surprised. You're going to love your day of servitude."

"We'll see about that you evil piece of shit. I beat Kronos, I think I can beat you, you sack of dicks." Ares's eyes burned but stayed put.

"I'll save it for the duel."

Percy checked his internal clock. 11:59:50.

Percy threw off his bathrobe, revealing track pants and a sweatshirt, as well as his gauntlet. 11:59:55

Percy unsheathed Riptide. Its blade glowed bronze. 11:59:57

Percy unsheathed countercurrent, which in turn glowed gold. 11:59:59.

The sound of a clock striking twelve loudly filled the arena, and Percy was off. He struck quickly with both swords, twirling and pirouetting around Ares's blade. Many of his strikes fell onto Ares shield, but some managed to get through and make contact with Ares's armor. Their first exchange lasted about 10 seconds before the two opponents broke away and started circling each other. Ares was stunned to find several dents in his armor and greaves in his shield. He snarled. "You're going to pay for that, kid."

Percy, unscathed, just laughed. "You're going to have to hit me first." The two gladiators rushed each other again, and this clash ended much like the last. Percy was quite literally dancing around Ares's strikes before scoring hits of his own. When the fight broke off, Percy was sweating, but still unscathed. They went in again. This time, Ares caught Percy's blades on his and pushed. It had turned into a contest of strength. Percy's eyes widened as he knew he was not going to win this fight. Focusing all of his strength, he turned his hand and quickly flicked his wrist. Water flew into the eyes of Ares. With Ares blinded, Percy slid under him and landed a few hits on his back. Ares sword was actually stuck in the ground, he kept swinging until he heard a crack. At that point, Ares let go of his sword and backhanded Percy across the face. Percy flew back from the force of the blow, and landed hard. His vision was swimming as Ares yanked his sword from the ground.

 **Artemis**

Artemis was on the edge of her seat. Realizing she looked a bit too interested, she tried to sit back. _It's alright, things are going fine for Percy._ _Of course it would be fine if he wasn't cause I don't care about him at all. He's just a male, another male._ Artemis was shook out of her stupor as she saw Percy fly across the fucking arena. Artemis was back on the edge of her seat. _Gods, that was like 50 feet? Is he alright? Nevermind. Don't care._ She looked to see Ares laughing. He had his palm outstretched, and it was glowing red. He pulled his hand back, and out came a red beam of pure energy. Percy saw it coming, and muttered something, but Artemis didn't think it had any effect. The beam hit him full force. Artemis sat, slack jawed. _What just happened? Is— is he dead? What have I done? I got him into this. Fucking hell. Fuck. Poor Percy. I'm sorry. I'm—_

Her thoughts were cut off as she saw a figure emerge from the crater where Percy had stood. "No!" she heard Ares yell. "Not possible!" What she assumed was Percy was a sight to behold. He was completely encased in armor. The color was primarily bronze, she assumed celestial, with gold accents. A gauntlet had appeared on his other hand, matching the first. The armor was plated, but looked rather like the armor of that Iron Guy from the comics. One smooth finish, rather than medieval knights. His helmet, however, showed contrast. It had two slits for eyes. It had one flat panel with a few holes in it, and shared the same gold/bronze accents. It looked heavy armored, it had to antenna, looking like ears. Armor plates came up around his eyes and under his chin, making it look like it was glaring at the opponent. It practically radiated power and intimidation. Artemis gasped. _It's beautiful._ She caught herself. _The armor. The armor is beautiful._ By the time she was done arguing with herself, Percy was rushing a shocked Ares.

 **Percy**

He ran towards Ares. _Glad this armor works._ Percy leapt over Ares and stabbed him in the back with Countercurrent, stabbing through the armor and breaking skin. Taking advantage of the broken armor, he slashed the sword across Ares back, giving him a deep cut that spewed inchor. Then, summoning all his strength, all his anger, he grabbed Ares, and threw him straight into the air. A moment later, Ares came down, and Percy slammed him into the ground. Ares hit, forming a crater about 30 feet deep.

"Anaklusmos," he whispered. The armor shrank back into his gauntlet. He looked down to see Ares broken form laying in a pool of water. From a broken pipe. _Water pipes. Pipes full of water. Athena lied._ He scanned the audience with pure anger in his eyes. He finally found Athena, whose face was a mask of shock and fear. He growled and turned away. _Time to set an example._ He climbed down. "Do you submit?" He yelled at Ares, so everyone could hear him. Ares said nothing. "Well?" Percy yelled even louder. "Do you?"

Ares finally croaked out an answer, his voice amplified so everyone could hear. "Yes," his ragged voice screeched. "I submit."

Percy smiled a cruel smile. He turned to stare at Athena, and as he did, stabbed Ares through the head with Riptide and through the heart with Countercurrent. He pulled them out. As Ares bled out, Percy amplified his voice. "You will get no mercy from the likes of me." He capped his sword, and walked out of the Arena angrily.

As he walked away, he heard the thunderous cheers emanating from the arena that had been silent moments ago.

* * *

 **Well, how was it? I definitely enjoyed writing this chapter, though it took a long time. This is really the first fight scene I've written since I was about 12, so I think there is improvement there. Let me know what you guys think! Your reviews are greatly appreciated.** **In other news, I've decided on a PERTEMIS** __ **pairing.** **I think that they're cute, and I'll make sure you guys get a few nice scenes during Percy's training ;)**

 **As always, read, review, and give feedback! Thanks!**

 **PS: To find the image I used as inspiration for Percy's helmet, just use this link:**

 **~A**


	6. Chapter 6 - Party

**Hey guys! It's Super Bowl Sunday! Go Pats! (I'll probably get some unfollows for that, but hey, I'm a Bostonian, what can I say?) I got some hate for the Pertemis pairing, but I got plenty of requests for it, so you can't say I'm not listening** **¯\\_(** **ツ** **)_/¯. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter! As always, read, review, and suggest!**

 **NOTE: I MADE AN ERROR ON THE LAST CHAPTER! THE PAIRING WILL BE _PERTEMIS_ , NOT PERCABETH! SO SORRY FOR NOT NOTICING THIS EARLIER!**

* * *

 **Artemis**

The Arena was bedlam. Gods were going crazy left and right. It looked like a scene out of a football game. She turned to her right. Apollo was freaking out, screaming his head off along with Hermes.

"Apollo!" she yelled over all the noise. "Apollo!"

He turned to her, shit eating grin plastered onto his face. "What is it little sis? Wasn't that fucking awesome? Look at Ares, he's bleeding out!"

Artemis ground her teeth. "That's the problem, you idiot! You're the god of healing, do something about that! He's insufferable but he's still an Olympian!"

Apollo sighed and snapped his fingers. Ares disappeared. "There. Happy?"

Before Artemis could respond, she heard Poseidon's voice echoing across the Arena. "SILENCE," he yelled. Everyone fell quiet, a little bit nervous to see Poseidon standing in the middle of the Arena. For a few seconds, a pin drop was loud as a gunshot. Then Poseidon cracked a smile. "Party at my place, 7:00 tonight."

Everyone went nuts once again. Artemis couldn't keep a grin off of her face at that. She left to go find Percy.

 **Percy**

Percy didn't want to go back to his palace. He had spent enough time down there. He walked to the lake, removed his shirt, and took a running leap. He sat at the bottom for a good while, letting his wounds heal and just relaxing, slowing the fish around him for practice. _It's a godsend,_ he thought, _that I still have my Father's power. I might have gone insane by now without it._

He uncapped his swords and let the water clean the inchor off of them. He marvelled at their beauty. He really needed to thank Haephestus for his brilliant work. The armor was amazing. He was going to keep that for the rest of godhood, it worked like a dream. Looked fucking badass too. **(A/N: I realized that the link to the helmet didn't work last time, so for my inspiration just google "** **arkham knight's helmet hex mortis** " **It should be the first two results)**

He looked down at his own, shirtless self as well. Godhood had been good to him. While he had muscle before, he was always pretty skinny. This is mostly because he had no need to practice anything other than fighting. Now he was still light and nimble, but his strength had increased tenfold. And it showed, from rippling abs to massive pectorals. Percy smirked. _No wonder those goddesses were looking at me, I look damn good. If only Anna—"_

Percy buried the thought quickly. He looked up at the water's surface to see a figure standing at the edge of the lake. Scowling, he pushed upwards. He broke the surface to see Artemis standing at the water's edge, smiling. Scowling, he asked, "What do you want?"

The ice in his voice seemed to surprise her, and her smile dropped. Seeing this, his eyes softened a bit, but his resolve did not. "Well?"

Artemis composed herself. "I'm here to honor our agreement. You said you wanted to fight me. When? Where? Under what conditions?"

Percy mulled it over. "My palace, tomorrow at 2. It's over the headquarters for Time Magazine, don't know why," he lied. "Don't tell people, I'd rather this be a more quiet thing. I have an arena of my own, for training."

Artemis seemed a bit confused, but nodded anyway. "Right. Sounds good," she said quietly.

Percy sensed something was off. The comradery domain started firing off on all cylinders, melting his resolve. "Hey, are you alright? Something feels a bit off."

Artemis smiled. "Yeah, everything is alright, I just don't do this very often. I thought about what you said yesterday, and I agree. Even if you are a male, you've proven your metal multiple times to the Olympians. We do have a bit of an issue with pride. Therefore, I'm swallowing mine and apologizing for my words against you. Don't get used to this, because it won't happen often. But I'll admit that I'm in the wrong."

Percy lifted himself out of the water, drying himself instantaneously. Unnoticed by him, Artemis turned away with a slight blush. He grabbed his shirt and threw it on, cracking a smile. "Apology excepted, Moony."

Artemis's eyes flashed dangerously. "Don't push it?"

Percy paled a bit. "Sorry."

Artemis smiled again. "Anyway, your father decided to throw a party at his palace, tonight at 7. I assume the guest of honor would like to be there," she said with good-natured sarcasm.

"I'll be there. Now, if you don't mind, have you seen Hephaestus?"

Artemis's eyes narrowed ever so slightly. _What is he up to?_ "I believe he flashed back to his palace over Mt. Saint Helens to prepare for the party. I'll have to warn you, his palace has some harsh security measures."

Percy nodded. "I'm not too worried. Thanks. I'll see you at the party, Artemis."

He flashed away, leaving Artemis alone and confused about her feelings.

Percy lifted the huge knocker on the door, and let it go. The boom that followed resonated throughout the mountain. Percy laughed to himself. _I'm sure that mortal scientists will be investigating that 'tremor' soon._

Percy was surprised when Hephaestus opened the door. He was clean-shaven with a haircut. In a tux rather than his usual overalls. "Well if it isn't the man of the hour," Hephaestus said with a booming laugh, grasping Percy's forearm in greeting. "Come on in."

Percy smiled, walking into a grand living room, complete with chairs for one on one meetings as well as couches for parties. "You clean up nicely, Heph. I assume you're going to my father's party?"

Hephaestus nodded. "Right you are, I hope to see you there. What can I do for you?"

"Well," Percy said, "I'll start by saying thank you. The sword worked like a dream, and I plan on keeping the armor for the rest of godhood. It is clearly a marvel of engineering, fit for Zeus himself."

Hephaestus smiled. "I'm glad you like it. Most gods love their traditional armor. It's not often I get to try out new, more modern appearances and applications. I love how it turned out, hopefully I'll get some business. Anyway, I should be thanking you. That fight was the most watched showing on Hephaestus TV in years, we pulled millions of gods and demigods from around the world. Well done."

Percy blinked in surprise. "I guess I really am the man of the hour. But seriously, thank you. If you ever need a favor from me, you just need to ask."

"I'll keep it in mind, Percy. Now what else are you here for? You didn't come to talk to me in private just to thank me, I'm guessing. What's on your mind?"

Percy nodded. "It's Athena. I'm pretty sure I've made an enemy out of her. I went to her for help on using the water I assumed existed under the arena for fire protection. She told me there was none. As we saw when I put Ares 50 feet under, there was. She tried to get the shit beat out of me by a god that's been her enemy for millennia. I'm gonna need to watch my back."

Hephaestus blinked, a bit surprised. "You're right, Percy. Athena is a dangerous enemy to have. I've got your back, Percy. Once you figure out how to use your domains, I'll be sure to develop tech to complement them. Don't worry about payment, it will be a good creative outlet."

Percy didn't know what to say. "Thank you, Hephaestus. I'll be sure to use that to its full extent. Once again, if there are ever any favors I could do for you, you only have to ask."

"Will do."

"Now," Percy said. "I think I'll head back to my place to get ready. I'll see you at the party."

"Indeed you will," Hephaestus replied as Percy flashed away. Hephaestus smiled to himself. _Who would have thought I'd make friends with the former demigod? This could be a profitable friendship indeed._

 **Annabeth**

It had been a nonstop party for the last few days at Camp Half Blood. Everyone was still ecstatic about defeating Kronos, and training had been dropped for the next few days to party at the request of Mr. D. Everything was great, but camp was missing one thing. For her, two. She sat alone in her cabin. Suddenly, a shimmer appeared in the middle of the room. It grew and became more clear, revealing Athena.

"Annabeth," she said warmly.

"Mother?" Annabeth replied.

"Annabeth," Athena said again. "You are better than this. You are stronger than this. You must forget about Luke, forget about Percy. Luke is gone, he died a hero's death. As for Percy, you know you never loved him—"

"That's not true." Annabeth looked at her mother. "I did love Percy. Just not in that way. You were never there for me, why now? Did Percy do something to upset you on Olympus?"

Athena's nostrils flared. "You dare—"

Annabeth matched her gaze. "I dare. Stay out of this, mother."

Athena disappeared, leaving Annabeth feeling emptier than before.

 **Artemis**

Poseidon's palace was a sight to behold. Its grandeur rivaled that of Olympus, as did its size. Though submerged, it was completely dry on the inside. The entrance led to a ballroom, which in turn led to all sorts of other rooms, some secret, some not.

She spotted Apollo in a red suit with a black tie, and walked over to him. Seeing her coming, Apollo smiled at her. "Hey, little sis, how's it going? Wow, you look great!" Artemis wore a silver, strapless dress that while covering her body, hugged her figure. She loved the dress, it made her look good while at the same time not affecting her mobility. Her hair was done back into a braid.

Artemis accepted the complement, smiling. "I wish I could say the same to you, brother." She moved to greet Poseidon, as he was host.

She greeted him, and they made small talk until Poseidon had another guest to greet. Now that that was over with, she was ready to get out, loosen up, and have a good time.

Her thoughts were interrupted as she saw Percy walk in with Hephaestus. He was wearing a navy blue suit with a gold tie. His gauntlet was clearly visible on his right hand, and two pens could be seen hooked on his breast pocket. Artemis allowed herself a smile. Always prepared.

"Well if it isn't our guest of honor!" Poseidon walked over to Percy, glass of nectar in hand. The room went quiet, sensing a speech coming on. "Percy Jackson," Poseidon started. "Never ceasing to surprise us. From his exploits as a demigod, saving Olympus, to dueling the God of War and coming out on top? He's clearly shown his metal. I'm very proud to be his father, and grow prouder with every accomplishment. May he continue surprising us to the end of time. To Percy Jackson!" he finished, raising his glass.

"PERCY JACKSON," the gods and goddesses boomed in response.

Artemis laughed. Percy looked utterly embarrassed. He shook hands with his father, then went back to talking to Hephaestus. Artemis was about to leave when she froze. The two gods were walking towards her.

 **Percy**

"Lady Artemis," Percy said, giving Artemis a slight, formal bow.

"Perseus," she replied. "Hephaestus," she acknowledged, nodding in the god's direction. He returned the nod. "What do you want?" she asked.

"Well," I said with a smile. "I don't have too many friends up here, and I'd like to think I've made a friend in you. Care to stick with me and Heph?"

Artemis scowled. "Maybe. For the time being, I think I'd rather mingle with the other gods. Once I dispense with the pleasantries, I may try and find you."

Percy shrugged. "Suit yourself." Turning to Hephaestus, he asked: "Wanna hit the games room?"

Hephaestus gave him a smile. "You know it."

As Percy walked away, he could hear Apollo talking to Artemis in the distance. "Come on, little sis, loosen up. Have a drink!"

* * *

Percy was exhausted. It had been a few hours since he arrived at the party, and there were drunk gods just about everywhere. He'd lost Heph to some niad about an hour back, he's probably having the time of his life somewhere. Currently he was listening to Apollo cry his eyes out about Daphne for the third time that night.

"So I was like *hic* 'holy damn, that's one hot bitch' and she was all like 'no you're handsome and beautiful but Cupid made me not want to' and she ran away and I was like 'hell naw' and I started chasing her . . ."

He droned on as Percy gave him a reassuring pat on the shoulder.

"So she turned into a goddamn tree and I was all like 'nooo how but also why' and she just stood there so I was like 'hell naw I'm taking *hic* I'm taking your leaves, bitch.' And I never saw her again."

Percy sighed. "Interesting story, Apollo. Now could you please go home? You're drunk as fuck and even Hermes knows it."

Apollo looked over at Hermes to see him trying to deliver a message to a marble column. "Bah. You're no *hic* fun, Percy. I'll go talk to Hermes now. Hasta la vista, baby."

Percy watched ad Apollo stumbled over to Hermes. _What did I expect, clearheadedness?_

"Percy!" Artemis's voice broke his stupor. He turned to see Artemis stumbling towards him. _What the fuck?_

"Percy!" she said again, walking up to him and performing a mock curtsy. "So good to see you!" She stumbled a bit, but caught herself on the countertop before she could fall, recovering.

"Artemis," he said uncertainty. "You're drunk."

"I'm not drunk," Artemis looked him deadpan, sounding exactly like a drunk. "I only had one drink, my brother got it for me. Bless his heart, bless his heart."

Percy glanced at Apollo who was looking in his direction with an idiotic smile on his face. He saw Percy looking and turned away quickly, looking back at Hermes. Sighing, Percy turned back to Artemis, who was trying her best at an indignant glare. "Come on, Artemis, let's get you home."

"Home? No way! The party is just getting started!" She began grinding against Percy.

Shocked, Percy pushed her away. "No, Artemis, you're going home." He marched over to Apollo. "Hey, sunshine, where's her palace?" He gestured to a kicking and screaming Artemis.

Apollo put a hand on his chest. "And why *hic* why should I listen to you?"

Percy unsheathed Riptide and pointed it at Apollo's throat. "Don't touch me. Where is her palace?"

Apollo almost sobered up. "It's over Sonoma. Sonoma, California."

Percy flashed away along with Artemis.

* * *

Artemis's palace floated rather majestically over a relatively quiet Sonoma. Percy checked his internal clock. 12:23. _Damn,_ Percy thought. _It's been longer than I thought._ He was ripped from his thoughts by an angry Artemis.

"Why are we here? I don't want to be here. Take me back to the partay you ignorant man! I am a goddess! I am to be respected! I am—"

"Drunk," Percy muttered. "How do I get in?"

"Oh," Artemis said cockily, seeming to forget she didn't even want to go home. "That's easy. Just do this." She placed her hand on the door and it opened wide. She turned her nose up at him. "I shouldn't expect a male to figure it out, I suppose."

Grinding his teeth, Percy held back a retort. _She's drunk. Don't hold her accountable. She's—"_

His thoughts were interrupted by a thud. Artemis had hit the ground, passed out. He ran over to her to find her still breathing. He sighed, lifting her up. _Her bedroom has to be somewhere._ As he was walking, he was surprised to find Artemis, still fast asleep, fasten her arms around his neck and snuggle close to his body. It was odd, and a strange feeling. _Annabeth never—"_ He shoved the thought down. _Nope. Not now._

He eventually found her bedroom amongst a labyrinth of corridors. He laid her down in her bed, putting the covers over her. She grabbed the second pillow on the queen size and snuggled with it, drooling. Percy took a mental image, that could be fine blackmail. He suppressed a laugh. _The goddess of the hunt, one of the most feared deities of all time, snuggling with a pillow._ He shook his head, smiling, and turned to leave. He thought he heard Artemis mutter something as he left, but thought nothing of it. He needed to rest. Long day.

* * *

 **(A/N: I was gonna stop here initially, but I guess you guys can enjoy a longer chapter because I feel guilty leaving you with just a party. Gotta move the chains a little bit)**

 **Artemis**

Artemis groaned as sunlight streamed into her room. She stretched, checking her internal clock. 9:43. _9:43? What the fuck?_ She tried to sit up abruptly but was deterred by a pounding headache. It felt like somebody was taking a jackhammer to her temple. She ground her teeth and looked down to find herself still in that same silver dress. She snapped her fingers, changing back into her huntress uniform. She grabbed her bow and quiver and flashed to Olympus.

Stomping to the forest, she saw Apollo at the edge, sitting on a rock, probably writing some shitty haiku. She growled and stalked over. He didn't notice her, so she kept sneaking. When she was upon him, she leapt up and grabbed him by the throat. "WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU PUT IN MY DRINK?" she screamed at him.

Clutching at his throat, Apollo croaked out "An amplifier. Increased the effects of the nectar, making you drunk."

Artemis loosened her grip slightly. "Did I do anything bad?"

Apollo managed to speak a bit easier. "I don't think so. The drunkenness took about four hours to take full effect, Percy took you home before you could do anything extremely embarrassing.

Artemis released him. Apollo rubbed his throat, healing it. "Take a joke, little sis. You really do need to loosen up sometimes."

Artemis glared daggers at him. "Heal my hangover now, or you'll need more than a bit of healing to piece yourself back together."

Paling ever so slightly, Apollo obliged. The pain in Artemis's head suddenly vanished. She rubbed her temples in relief. "Wait," she asked. "Percy took me home?"

Apollo grinned. "The one and only."

Artemis checked her internal clock. _10:31 already? Did it really take me that long to get up?_ She turned and threw a punch at Apollo's jaw. It landed square, and he crumpled to the ground. "You deserve that," Artemis snapped before flashing back to her palace.

 **Percy**

Sweat pouring down his shirtless body, Percy sat in his Time Arena. His special room for slowing time, it basically dropped various objects at incremental times for Percy to slow. He was currently holding an 18 Wheeler in the air. It was moving downwards at a pace of about an inch per minute. He trained rather extensively here, he had gotten good at using his power.

 _Thank the gods,_ he thought, _that I didn't have to reveal it during the battle with Ares. For the gods to know this early . . ._ he shook off the thought. The 18 wheeler had moved a total of four inches in the time he broke concentration. Percy casually checked his internal clock. Noon. He let the 18 wheeler fall to the ground. It exploded upon impact, sparks catching the engine. Percy just shielded his eyes. He moved down to his normal arena to train. Artemis would be there in two hours, and he wasn't about to be caught off guard.

 **Artemis**

Artemis walked up the steps to Percy's palace. Wearing her armor she truly looked like a Goddess. Rather than the traditional armor of the gods, it was smooth, tight. It helped her maintain mobility when she was hunting, and was mottled camouflage rather than her traditional silver. She was in her 16 year old form, her favorite for hunting. Celestial bronze hunting knives were strapped to each of her forearms, as well as a belt of them around her waist. On her back was her quiver, filled to the brim with normal, flaming, and exploding arrows. Much like Percy's swords, they returned to her quiver soon after being fired. As for her bow, she held that in her left hand. It was silver as a moonbeam, and seemed to just emanate an aura of pure power.

She got to the door and checked her internal clock. Two on the dot. She rang the small doorbell next to the door. A moment later, a shirtless and very sweaty Percy answered the door, breathing a bit heavier than normal. She couldn't help but stare at his gleaming body for a moment, but tore her eyes away after a few seconds. Percy, however, noticed.

"Sorry," he said wincing. "I usually train shirtless as to increase mobility. Would you like me to put one on?"

"No, no," Artemis replied shaking her head. "Who am I to get in the way of your training."

Percy shrugged. "If you say so. Come on in."

Artemis walked into a small chamber. Many hallways sprouted from it, each, Artemis guessed, leading to a room. Percy had built his palace for practical purposes rather than to impress an audience. Interesting. Percy led her down one of the hallways without a word.

Artemis composed herself. "Did I do anything bad at that party last night? I'm really sorry if I did. Apollo slipped an amplifier in the one drink I had, so I got drunk. That doesn't usually happen, I promise." Artemis kicked herself. _What the fuck am I doing? Talking like this to a man, rambling, apologizing, it's beneath me! It's—_

Percy cut into her mental voice. "Nah, you're fine. You were just super drunk, and kicked and screamed a lot when I took you home. Once you got into your palace, you kinda just passed out, so I eventually found your bedroom and lay you down there. Nothing—" he coughed. "Nothing interesting happened."

Artemis side eyed him. "Alright."

They walked in silence for a few moments. "Ah, here we are." Percy led Artemis to a huge room, larger than even the throne room at Olympus. Percy grinned at her. "I hope you're ready for the fight of your life."

* * *

 **And by the time I'm finishing this it's Post Super Bowl Monday. Pats lost, RIP. Anyway, here's another chapter for you guys. I hope you enjoyed it! It was a little stale compared to the others, I think, but I'd like to establish some kind of romantic tension between Percy and Artemis before the Second Great Prophecy ruining everything. I'm altering canon a bit there, but this is fanfiction. Nobody gives a fuck. Anywho, review and suggest, I'll see you next time!**

 **~A**


	7. Chapter 7 - Feelings

**Hey again! Another chapter right of the bat. Not sure where I'm going with it, exactly, but I suppose we'll see, won't we. Sorry again about the pairing mixup, Pertemis all the way! Not an Annabeth hater, but things will certainly get interesting when the seven are selected. Until then, read, review, and enjoy!**

* * *

 **Artemis**

Percy led her through the huge room. She saw a vast assortment of dangerous things, including flamethrowers, automated bows and arrows, and a climbing wall surrounded by a lava pit. Passing an assortment of weights, they came to an arsenal of old training swords to rival a museum. He gestured to her body. "I see you already have your weaponry, so I suppose we should move on. If I may ask, where did you get the bodysuit?"

"A gift from my father," she replied. "He always loved showering me with whatever I desired. It's armor, actually, helps me maintain my mobility. Celestial bronze fibers woven together, colored to help me blend in."

Percy smiled. "Sounds like a very Zeus thing to do. Shall we continue?"

They walked on in silence until they got to an arena about the size of the one at Olympus. It was different, though. It was circular, yet completely walled in. Obviously not meant for spectators. The ground was riddled with trap doors, gods know what was hiding under them. "This is my training arena," Percy told her. "Part of my daily routine, I'll fight against the dummies that pop out of the trap doors with weapons. I knew this wouldn't be enough. So since I handed the God of War's ass over, I figured I'd test my skill against another weapon."

Artemis nodded. "But why me? Why not Athena, or—"

"Athena doesn't like me very much," Percy cut her off curtly.

"Ah. I see." They stood in silence for an awkward moment.

"Shall we get to it?" Artemis broke the silence. "I'd like to beat you quickly, then I can go home."

Percy smiled. "You sure you don't need me to carry you there?" he retorted.

Artemis snarled at his back as he walked away. _This is on._

 **Percy**

Percy started an internal stopwatch. "Anaklusmos." Percy's armor spread across his body as he uncapped his swords one at a time. He was nervous. This was the goddess of the hunt they were talking about. One of the Twelve Olympians. _Then again,_ he snorted. _So it Mr. D—_ He paled as he remembered the moment at the foot of the new Mt. Orthys where Mr. D drove those monsters to madness. _Nope. Bad thought, Bad thought. Please. You've beaten Ares. You've beaten Kronos himself. You can beat this sexist, manhating godde—"_

His thoughts were interrupted by a whistle behind his head. Quick as lightning, he shifted his head and moved his hand to the space his head had just occupied. Timing it perfectly, he clenched his fist, catching the arrow in midair. He turned and looked over his shoulder at Artemis, bow in hand. "Cheap shot," he snarled.

Leaping across the arena, he jumped and twirled around more arrows. Some were on fire, and he could hear some exploding in the distance. Artemis just kept leaping from spot to spot, shooting at him as he went. Her acrobatic form sliced through the air rather elegantly with all the precision of a surgeon. Percy realized he probably wasn't able to catch her. She was in constant motion. He wished he could sense where she'd appear next. A touch of his sword and she'd be at his mercy. _Sense. Touch. Pressure. Pressure sensors. Trap doors!_ By some genius thought process, Percy remembered he engineered the trap doors to react to touch. _If only I could activate one where she is jumping next . . ._

With a new plan, Percy changed his style. While still dodging arrows acrobatically, he analyzed Artemis's pattern. She was jumping to certain places, places that will get her the best shot. _Where is the best shot? My back. Of course._ Percy abruptly stopped moving, catching the nearest arrow, and quickly throwing it away, seeing it was explosive. He caught a glimpse of movement as Artemis moved to leap behind him. Doing a quick 180, Percy used his wrist cannons to shoot a pressurized gush of water at the nearest trapdoor. A dummy popped out and began slowly walking. Artemis landed directly onto it, destroying it and knocking her off of her feet. With the speed of a practiced warrior, Percy was on her. She just had time to abandon her quiver and grab her hunting knives in order to deflect Percy's downstrike. The two exchanged blows at the speed of sound, Percy taking the offensive and Artemis on the defensive. As Percy was still on top of Artemis, she managed to twist herself ever so slightly and kick Percy in the chest. Leaping on top of him, Artemis went for the neck but was blocked by his blades.

Exchange like this went on for a while. At one point, Percy managed to kick the flat of one of Artemis's knives as she tried to hold his foot down. She took advantage by prying Riptide from his grip. Before she could use it, however, Percy touched the cap to it, ripped the pen from Artemis's unsuspecting hand, and threw it across the arena. There was no way he could free his hand to open it, and his teeth were obscured by the helmet. This whole exchange happened in less than a second.

Percy kicked Artemis, and she landed on her feet. He rose immediately, and they began going at it, sword to knife. It would normally be child's play for Percy, but Artemis was slippery and kept dodging. Eventually, Percy took a hand off of his sword, holding Artemis off with one hand. He stabbed left, and when when she sidestepped, he threw a straight punch to her nose. As she was stunned, he disarmed her of her knife and relieved her of her bow. He hit her again and she went down. He walked over and put his sword to her neck. "Dead," he muttered, stopping his internal stopwatch at 23 minutes. Then he collapsed.

 **Artemis**

She came to slowly, groaning as she got up. She checked her internal clock. _3:02?_ The last thing she remembered was that punch . . . _Oh gods. Did I? Did I lose?_ She put her hand to her nose to find it intact. _Great. The only thing destroyed now is my dignity._

"Morning, sleepyhead!" She heard Percy's voice from across the arena. She looked up to see him walking towards her, armorless.

She growled and reached for an arrow, but was surprised to see her quiver was gone, as was her bow. She grabbed her hunting knife off the ground and threw it in Percy's direction.

Percy, amused, watched as it sailed harmlessly over his shoulder. "You're still a bit disoriented, if you couldn't tell. I'd start by not trying to kill me." He made it over to her and offered her hand. Snarling at him, She pushed herself up, swallowing her dizziness.

"You cheated," she snapped at him.

Percy's eyes narrowed slightly. "No. I set no conditions. I only said we were to fight. My fists and that trapdoor were just as legal as that bow, he said, gesturing to her right. She turned to see her bow and quiver hanging on a weapon's rack. She tried to run over, but she fell. Percy was there to catch her. They made eye contact for just a moment. Then she slapped him.

"You dare lay your hands on me Perseus Jackson? I am an Olympian! The goddess of maidens! How da—" She was cut off as Percy dropped her.

"Let me know," he snapped icily, "when you have collected your weapons. Once you have, I will lead you out of my house. I'll be upstairs in that walled off room in the back corner. Ring the bell when you're ready. Don't even try to get out without me, you don't have the code."

Artemis was shocked. "Don't you have some kind of woman servant that could help me? I don't appreciate males touching me." She spoke the words like a poison.

Percy's eyes narrowed even further. He snapped his fingers and the weapons rack disappeared. It reappeared hanging about 50 feet above the wall. Artemis just sat in shocked silence as he walked off. "Good luck, he called over his shoulder, almost mockingly.

* * *

Exhausted, Artemis tried again. She jumped and jumped, but barely missed each time. _This is getting me nowhere,_ she thought. _It's gonna be hours before I can grow to a larger size, there has to be a way._ She scanned the wall. She spotted an archway used to hold up the dome cropping out from the otherwise smooth wall. It was about 30 feet horizontally from the rack. _This could work._ Artemis ran up to the arch, leapt about 40 feet into the air, then changed directions, pushing horizontally and upward above the arch. Seemingly in slow motion, she fluidly grabbed her bow and quiver. Landing on her feet, she grinned. She collected her hunting knives from the arena and headed for the door.

She came up to the door to see a keypad. Numbers only. Artemis cracked her knuckles. An alarm was sure to go off if she entered the wrong code. She looked closely at the numbers. To her surprise, she found slight traces inchor on four of the numbers: 8,1,9, and 3. Percy had probably wiped the inchor away from her nose and left traces of it on his fingers. She sniffed the buttons, which may sound weird, but her sense of smell was extremely acute. The inchor smelled the strongest on 8 by far, almost as if it had been touched twice. After that, the strongest ones in succession were 1, 9, and 3. _Eight, one, nine, three. Eight one, nine three._ Artemis perked up. Percy turned 16 the other day, the eighteenth. That means he was born in '93 . . .

Artemis confidently entered the numbers 8, 1, 8, 9, and 3 in succession. The pad lit up green and the door slid open soundlessly. Artemis crept in, sticking to the shadows. She silently pulled an arrow from her quiver and held it. Carrying the bow with one hand and holding the arrow in her other. With soft footfalls, she crept up the long stairway. Eventually she reached the top and came to a wall. The wall, however, was completely clear. Noticing this, Artemis slunk back into the shadow of the unlit staircase. The first thing that registered was not Percy, but a pair of floating boulders. Using her hunters vision, she could see that they were actually falling, just very slowly. She looked down to find a shirtless Percy with sweat pouring down his body. He was shaking and his eyes were shut tightly in concentration. Suddenly, a third boulder dropped from the ceiling. Percy closed his eyes tighter as the two boulders began to fall the slightest bit faster, the third slowing to match them.

Artemis was confused. Levitation? How did Percy have this power? Artemis absentmindedly looked down through the glass floor at the bustling streets of New York City. Time magazine seemed to be quite busy. _Time Magazine._ Artemis's eyes snapped back to Percy, widening. _Time. He has the domain of time._ She gasped, barely audible. Percy's eyes snapped open and the boulders crashed to the ground. Artemis tried to turn, but she felt herself freeze. As much as she struggled, she couldn't move. The dust cleared to reveal Percy, standing, beads of sweat forming on his forehead.

"Please . . ." he struggled to speak. "Please don't run. I . . . I can't hold you . . . for long. You can't . . . you can't get out. Stop . . . struggling and I will . . . let . . . you—"

Artemis understood his logic and obliged reluctantly. As soon as she stopped trying to run, she became unfrozen and Percy slumped to the ground. Artemis cautiously opened the door and walked over to the room. She watched as Percy took a tablet of ambrosia out of his pocket and ate it. He sat up slowly, and Artemis sat down next to him, apprehensively. He waved his hand dismissively at her. "Don't worry. I'm not mad at you anymore. Meditation helps. You could really learn to be less sexist though. Yes, women can be sexist," he said, noticing Artemis opening her mouth. "I'm too tired for this argument right now. Do you want to hear about this shit or not?"

Artemis fumed silently for a few seconds. "Fine. You better have a good explanation for this bo—" she felt her intake of breath slow.

"Careful," Percy said as Artemis's breathing returned to normal. "I can be dangerous when I want to be."

 **Percy**

 _Where the fuck to I begin with this bitch._ "Now you're the last person I'd like to know about this. You hate me, and I constantly am irritated by your naive views on modern society."

"I don't hate you," she said softly, surprising him. "You're infuriating sometimes, but I consider you a friend. Those don't come often for me."

"Really?" Percy was very surprised.

"Yeah."

"Alright. Maybe just trying to be a little less biased towards about 50% of the races of human, demigod, and God would help your case," he replied softly. "We'll work on it. Anyway, there's a story to be told. When the fates appeared, they froze time around us as they granted me my domains. Comradery and Swordplay were to be expected, but they decided the only way to vanquish Kronos forever was to grant someone else his domain over time. And what better person than his defeater, a young, uncorrupted demigod, and now a potential Olympian."

Artemis sat there for a few seconds. "Why did you keep this a secret — Percy?" She paused a bit before saying his nickname aloud, seeing how it sounded.

"There had to be a reason the Fates kept it a secret. My guess is they thought Zeus would see my potential to get too powerful and attempt to snuff me out."

Artemis grimaced. "That does sound a bit like him."

They sat in silence for a good while, before Artemis decided to test the water.

"If you don't mind me asking," she said tentatively, "why did you accept godhood? Your fatal flaw is loyalty. I assumed you would stick with your friends."

"I guess the thirst for power quenched that," Percy shrugged non-committedly.

"You're lying. I'm not expert on emotions, but that's not the reason." Percy remained silent, turning away slightly. "Percy, you need to let this out. You've been carrying whatever this thing is for days, I saw it break out briefly before the fight with Ares. You can't just bury this, it will kill you. You need to let it out," she pushed on. She put her hand on Percy's shoulder, causing him to flinch before lowering his head.

"I loved her. Annabeth. With all my heart, I loved her. I thought she loved me too. We kissed at Hephaestus's Forge. We'd been so—" his voice broke. He pushed on anyway. "We'd been so happy. I could see a life with her, I could see myself marrying her. The rest of my life with that woman. It would have been perfect. Absolutely perfect. Absolutely—" he cut off as the tears began flowing.

Artemis surprised him once again by moving her hand to his back and moving it up and down slightly. It was comforting, even if only slightly. He looked over to see Artemis in her 16 year old form. _She's pretty,_ was the first thing that came to his mind, somehow, but he pushed it down. 'What happened?" Artemis asked .

Percy hung his head even lower. "She loved Luke. The whole time, he loved Luke. I was only ever a friend. Nothing more. She professed her love as he was dying, had a nice long kiss in front of me. It— it—"

 **Artemis**

"It—" was all he got out of his mouth before he broke down. Artemis surprised herself yet again by putting her arm around Percy and pulling him closer. _What am I doing? This is a male. A male you barely know!_ Another side of her head disagree. _This is a person that needs help. It doesn't matter if he's a male, he's your friend and you should be there for him._ Artemis decided to go with the latter. She let Percy cry on her shoulder, occasionally drying the tears off of her armor with magic. Luckily, Percy wasn't an ugly crier. It could have gotten gross.

* * *

Percy led her back down the stairs without a word. They walked back through the Arena, as well as the other various training . . . things. Percy made it to the door and placed his hand on it. "In hindsight," he said, "I probably should have done this with the Time Room, I just figured that even if somebody could somehow hack this door, they needed another level of security for that."

Artemis nodded. "Makes sense."

They walked through the long hallway in silence. Percy cleared his throat awkwardly, and broke the silence. "If you ever want to train with me, have nothing else to do, you can feel free. Maybe we can teach each other a thing or two?"

Artemis detected a hint of hope in his voice and considered it. Normally she'd shoot down any request made by a man in an instant, but Perseu— Percy was different. She had nothing to do anyway, besides her own training regimen at 6. "When do you start training?"

"6:15 AM," he replied.

"I start at 6, train for an hour every morning. I'd be willing to meet with you here mornings at 7:15, so we both get an hour train alone."

Percy nodded as they reached the end of the hallway. "Sounds great."

Artemis turned towards him to say goodbye. "I'll see you later, I guess."

"Yeah. Thank you for listening."

"Of course," replied Artemis. "We're friends now, remember?" She surprised herself with a playful smile.

Percy grinned back. "Right." A short pause. "Anyway, I'll be seeing you." He looked like he wanted to do something more, but Artemis decided to ignore it. She'd had enough emotional connection for the day.

"Yup. Bye, Percy."

"Bye," Percy said as Artemis stepped outside and flashed away.

* * *

 **Aand we're done! Really cranking out the chapters, huh? This was an easy one to write. Not much happened in terms of time passing, but I hope you guys are satisfied with this chapter as I am. As always, review and suggest. Thank you for reading 3**

 **~A**


	8. Chapter 8 - Insanity

**And, I'm back. It's February Break! I'm hoping to pump out at least to chapters. I was flying cross country, but shit happened and now I'm not. Sucks, but more chapters for you guys! Anywho, read, review, and enjoy!**

 ****TRIGGER WARNING - MENTIONS OF RAPE IN THIS CHAPTER****

* * *

 **Percy**

Percy lay on the ground next to Artemis, chest heaving. They'd been training together for a few weeks now, 7:15 to 8:15. Every morning, Artemis would show up, They'd train with each other for an hour in various ways. Sometimes they'd duel, sometimes Artemis would help him with his poor archery skills, and sometimes Percy would help her with hand to hand combat skills. While not one of his domains, it was a large part of his own routine ever since he beat Artemis with it. Sometimes, you just need to trust your own body rather than weapons. They had just finished with a rather taxing duel. Percy checked his internal clock. 8:10.

"We have time for one more," he said, clambering to his feet. "I'll make it quick, there's something I want to try. 8:11."

Artemis gave him a weird look, but obliged. She stood, and they walked to their customary positions. As soon as their internal clocks hit 8:11, they each sprang into action. Percy activated his armor and drew his swords as Artemis immediately drew and fired an arrow. Body shots only, they had agreed. Avoid potential damage. Artemis's arrows were powerful, and Percy had one hurtling towards his chest. Unfazed, he extended his hand and froze the arrow in time just inches from his body. Artemis's eyes narrowed. She jumped to a spot behind Percy, probably hoping that his concentration on the other arrow would stop him from freezing one he behind him. She fired, and once again Percy froze the arrow. This practice went on for about another minute, Artemis testing the waters from each angle. She seemed to realize it wouldn't work about 10 arrows in. She rushed him from the front. He waited until she was nearly upon him, then jumped. As he jumped, he released his hold on the arrows with a yell. They slammed into Artemis, who was standing where Percy was moments before.

 **(A/N: The arrows velocity did not slow. They were frozen in time, but that didn't affect their relative speed. They were returned to their previous state as soon as they were released, much like we saw happen in TLO with Kronos.)**

Percy smiled and deactivated his armor as he saw Artemis fall to the ground. Her armor was near impenetrable, but those arrows would certainly leave a few bruises. He capped both Riptide and Countercurrent as he walked over to her, offering her his hand. She took it. "That's cheating," she said, coughing.

Percy shrugged. "Maybe. I won't do it again, I just wanted to see if I could do it. I thought it was pretty badass."

Artemis raised her eyebrow with a smile. "Not bad, for a man."

Sensing she was teasing him, he laughed. "Oh, so I'm not a boy anymore, but a man?"

Snorting, Artemis responded. "Please, its not much of an upgrade."

Percy rolled his eyes. "Right. I can never tell if you're joking or not."

Artemis laughed, a clear sound like a river flowing around a stone, or a bird trilling. "Let's keep it that way."

Percy looked at her, a bit surprised. He'd never heard a genuine laugh out of her before now. _She has a nice laugh,_ he thought to himself. He didn't vocalize that, mostly due to the fact that he'd probably get slapped. Instead, he just shook his head and turned for the door. Artemis followed behind him. "What have you got planned for today? It seems like all you ever do is walk around Olympus or stay in your palace. You have to be bored out of your mind."

Percy laughed. "If you think I'm bored, you probably don't have the slightest clue where most of those rooms lead. But to answer your question, I was going to go visit Camp Half Blood. I couldn't before, apparently something in the Ancient Laws stopped me, but now I'm good. I'm not sure how I know, I guess it's instinct. I never thought I'd be told to be social by possibly the most antisocial goddess out there."

Artemis huffed. "I am not antisocial! I—"

"The only people I've ever seen you carry conversation with are your Hunters, Apollo, and I."

Percy watched as Artemis opened her mouth and shut it again. "Yeah," he said. "Antisocial."

They made it to the door and said their goodbyes.

* * *

 **Annabeth**

Annabeth was training when she heard the news. Connor Stoll was sprinting through the camp like a town crier, yelling "PERCY'S BACK, PERCY'S BACK!"

Annabeth stopped, nearly getting impaled by a spike that shot out of the ground. She dodged and ran from the training arena, following the increasing horde of campers following Connor. Normally, something like this would be a prank, but this isn't the kind of thing that they would pull. The whole camp had been missing Percy for weeks now. Nobody had seen him since he had accepted Godhood. And now, here he was. Annabeth slowed to a walk. _AmI ready for this? What if he hates me? What_ if— Her thoughts were interrupted when she saw him.

 **Percy**

Percy smiled as he saw the faces of all of his former campmates. He shook hands with Travis and Connor, got a hug from Katie Gardiner, and another from Rachel. _Wait. Rachel?_

"What are you doing here?" Percy asked, shocked.

Rachel raised an eyebrow. "Didn't you hear? I'm the Oracle now. The curse got lifted!"

Percy was slightly mortified, but happy for her. "You— you should not have risked that. At any rate, congratulations!"

Rachel shot him a winning smile. "Thanks." She pulled him in for another hug, whispering in his ear. "Remember, the Oracle can't date. Go get Annabeth."

Percy winced, but she didn't seem to notice. He greeted more of his old friends. Clarisse was among them. They regarded each other with mutual respect. Percy broke the silence, nodding. "Drakonslayer."

She smiled and grasped his forearm. "Titankiller."

Percy moved through the line until there was only one person left. They were alone, everybody else had left for the moment, though Percy was sure they would later return to grill him about his godhood. Annabeth and Percy stood awkwardly. Annabeth was the first to break the silence.

"You've changed."

"Godhood has been good to me."

"It has"

They stood in silence for a while. "Do you— do you still" Annabeth started.

"No," Percy shook his head. "I don't still love you, not like that. I can't blame you for your feelings, no matter how much they may hurt me."

Tension seemed to seep out of her shoulders. "I've missed you, Percy. You're my best friend."

Percy stepped in and hugged her. She melted into his arms, tears streaming down her face. Percy stroked her hair. It was nice. Not to feel trapped. To be able to do this. _I'm over it,_ he thought. _I really am. We're just friends. Finally. Just friends._ He smiled and pulled her tighter.

Eventually, he released her. "You have shit to do," he said. "I'll stick around for a bit, don't worry."

Wiping her eyes, she nodded. "I guess I'll be seeing you."

"I guess so."

They parted ways.

* * *

Percy sat up on Zeus's fist, watching the birds fly by. He had been thoroughly questioned on his time as a god. The only ones he had told about his domains were Chiron and the Stoll Brothers. They were his mentor and longtime friends. While the Stolls were pranksters, he trusted them. The death toll had relieved him of many friends, he had to keep those that he had. And he wasn't quite ready to tell Annabeth. Chiron had urged him to continue to exercise caution. You never know what the Olympians may do if they encountered a God with the potential to be as powerful as them. Percy shuddered at the thought. _There's no telling what they might do._

 **Annabeth**

He had hugged her. And ran his hands through her hair. And just held her. Annabeth sat in her cabin, a whirlwind of mixed feelings. Sure, there was her friendly love for Percy, as well as her sadness that he couldn't be around more often. But there was something else. Something more elusive. For some reason, Annabeth just couldn't stop thinking about his muscled arms holding her.

 _He likes me. Like that. He wants me as a partner. That's why he became a god, my rejection hit him hard._ _So maybe—_

Annabeth shoved the thought down. _You loved Luke._

Another voice fought back. _Luke is gone. You're learning to love Percy. Bring him into your cabin. Confess your love. Live happily ever after._

Annabeth was shocked by the voice. It felt almost like a foreign presence in her mind. **(A/N: wink wink)**

 _Maybe I should. I've been fantasizing the last few weeks as it is. I've been distraught without him. Maybe I should try._

Annabeth sat on her bed, head in her hands, fighting with herself.

* * *

3 Weeks Later

"I will have him. I must!" Annabeth rocked back and forth on her bed, hand in her panties. She had been reduced to pure desire and want for Percy Jackson. She had dreamt of him taking her for weeks, punishing for her for how bad she had been. The dreams made her happy, something she hadn't felt in a long time. She was seen rarely outside of her room. She spent her time masturbating to the picture she had of him.

She smelled like shit, her hair was a mess. She had a wild look in her eyes. She was clearly far passed gone. People were worried, but figured she was just working on some sort of project. Nobody wanted to interrupt Annabeth.

And so, she sat, muttering to herself, fingering herself aggressively. Her musings were interrupted by a knock on her door. "What is it?" she growled at the door. "What is so important that you must interrupt me?"

There was a pause before a nervous voice made its way through the door. "Sorry, Annabeth. It's just— Percy's back. I figured you'd want to see him."

Annabeth's eyes widened as she came on the spot. "I," she said in a breathy voice, "Would love too."

 **Percy**

"Thanks, Heph! This will be incredibly useful. I truly appreciate it."

"Ah, no problem, Percy. That armor of yours is my little experiment. I could always stand to improve it. Speaking of which, I can't wait to work on complimenting your time power with it. You should have told me about that domain sooner!"

"I guess so," Percy replied, smiling, "It does benefit us both.."

"That it does."

"Thanks again, man." Percy reached out and grabbed Hephaestus's forearm, now the standard greeting and parting gesture between them. "I really appreciate it. Remember, if there's anything I can do—"

"Yeah, yeah," Hephaestus cut him off. "Just ask. Got it. See you later, Percy."

"See you, Heph." Percy flashed away. He appeared back in his palace, particularly his bedroom. He activated his armor and admired it. Hephaestus had done some work on it in the past 3 weeks. Most noticeable was a new paint job, black and grey rather than bronze and gold. He hadn't gotten the chance to show it off yet, so Heph was the only one that knew. Among the other new features were cloaking abilities, sticking capabilities, and shapeshifting. The cloaking worked much like a chameleon, only working when the person was still, they couldn't just run around whilst invisible. As for sticking, he could crawl up walls and such with his hands and feet, much like Spiderman. However, this could only support slightly more than his body weight, so he couldn't carry too much. The final one was more of a magical element. Percy had made the armor one of his symbols of power. This was his defensive symbol, he still had room for a weapon. Because it was his symbol of power, it would change forms along with him. When he changed his appearance, he could also change the appearance of the armor. That meant he could make it appear as a sweatshirt with track pants, giving off a harmless vibe, while actually being protected well. Less notably, the helmet could also record, filter, and playback sound.

Percy couldn't thank Hephaestus enough for his innovations, and often tried to offer him favors. Hephaestus, however, would always turn them down. _He has a kind heart,_ Percy thought.

Shaking himself out of his stupor, Percy sat at his desk to write in his journal. He had been writing in it for the past few weeks, probably recounting his experiences in Olympus and his inner thoughts. Honestly, I couldn't tell you what it says, he keeps it under lock and key. Not even I can read that thing.

Percy's writing was interrupted when an arrow flew through his palace window. Percy was surprised. His palace was enchanted so such weapons couldn't enter. He walked over and picked up the arrow. It was colored silver, which gave Percy his answer. Artemis and he had become closer, and he had given her access to his palace. _I guess that includes weapons as well._ There was a note strapped to it.

" _The hunt is visiting CHB today. See you there?_

 _~A_ "

Percy smiled. Artemis had been occupied with her hunt for the past week, so he hadn't been able to see her. They had become close friends. Maybe a little bit more.

Percy silenced his thoughts. _Maiden goddess. MAIDEN. OATH._

He flashed down to Camp Half Blood.

* * *

Finally, he had fought through the hordes. _They should be used to me visiting by now._ Percy's comradery domain allowed him to visit Camp Half Blood as often as he wanted, due to the fact that he had fought beside most of its occupants. He'd visited twice in the past three weeks.

Percy made his way over to the Hunter's camp. Spotting him, many of them tensed up. They didn't like most of the campers, and they certainly didn't like men. However, when they recognised Percy, they relaxed and some began to even smile. He had fought side by side with the majority of them during the Titan War. He smiled as he saw Thalia running towards him.

They collided, Thalia nearly crushing Percy in a hug. "Hey Thals," Percy smiled into her hair. "How's the hunt?"

Thalia stepped back. "It's going well, we've picked up a few new members, but not nearly enough to make up for our losses during the war. We're here to rest before travelling to Florida. Apparently there is a hydra living in the swamplands there. Right now it's harmless, but there's no telling what it could do if we leave it alone."

"I see you've been busy," Percy laughed.

"Sure have," Thalia responded. Her expression darkened suddenly as a memory resurfaced. "Percy, I need to talk to you about something—"

"THALIA GRACE," a voice boomed from the hunt. Percy looked over Thalia's shoulder to see Artemis walking towards him. He saw a hint of something in her eyes. Jealousy? It was gone so quickly he figured he had imagined it. "You are being altogether too friendly with this male, even if it is Perseus Jackson."

Thalia turned and dropped to a knee. "Apologies, m'lady. I will refrain from such inappropriate behavior in the future."

Artemis nodded. "Apology accepted." She turned to Percy. "And you, boy," she spat the word with a slight smile and a gleam in her eye to tell him she was joking. "Stay away from my hunters."

Percy nodded, returning the tiny smile. "Will do, Artemis. I'm sorry."

"Good." Letting her smile reign free now, she turned and walked back towards the hunt.

 _Was she . . . flirting?_

"Hello? Percy, this is important!" Thalia snapped her fingers, bringing Percy back to reality.

"I'm sorry Thalia, I zoned out. What's up?"

"I had a dream last night, about Annabeth. There were two shadows whispering in her ears, and she collapsed, screaming after a few minutes of whispering. The scream is what woke me up. I haven't seen her all day, can you please find her and check on her? I'm worried about her." Thalia spoke very quickly and nervously.

Percy was a bit worried. "Alright," he replied. "I'll be sure to talk to her." He turned around. "But finding her should be no trouble. Here she is now."

* * *

 **Annabeth**

Annabeth had wanted to be in private, so she had brought him into her room. It smelled heavily of air freshener, and not a thing was out of place. She closed the door behind them, locking it soundlessly. Percy didn't notice. She turned around and looked at him. She wanted so badly to rip off his shirt and make love to him right there, but the voice inside her said that wasn't the best course of action.

"Sit down, get comfortable," she said.

Percy did as he was told. "Are you alright Annabeth? You're acting a bit strange."

Annabeth laughed. "Yeah. Guess it's just nerves."

Percy raised his eyebrows. "What's to be nervous about?"

Annabeth took a deep breath. _Here goes._ "Well Percy, I think I'm in love with you. Not in a friendly way anymore. In the way I loved Luke. I want to be your girlfriend. I want to take walks across the beach with you, I want to run my hands up and down your body, I want you to fuck me until I can't feel my legs anymore. Will you give me the honor?"

 **Percy**

"Will you give me the honor?"

Percy was shocked. A few months ago, this would have been music to his ears. He probably would have taken her right here, on the bed. But not now. He was over her. She was nothing more than a friend.

"Annabeth, what are you talking about? This isn't you."

Annabeth grabbed her knife off of the table. Percy took a step back, only to realize she had begun cutting up her shirt with it. She made slow, deliberate slices, revealing more and more flesh. Percy blushed as he realized that she wasn't wearing a bra underneath. _No. No, this is all wrong._

"Come on, Percy," Annabeth purred. "I've lost my inhibitions. You know you want this." She made another cut, revealing one of her nipples.

Percy grit his teeth. "Annabeth, stop."

Annabeth ignored him, cutting her other breast free. She walked over to him, cut his shirt loose, and began running her hands up and down his bare chest.

"ANNABETH!" Percy shouted.

Annabeth looked up at him expectantly.

"I don't. Want you," he said breathlessly through gritted teeth. "Leave me. Alone. Find. Somebody else. Because I don't want you. I never— I never will again."

Hurt made its way into Annabeth's eyes, with just a hint of insanity. "Fine, she said coldly. Have it your way."

Percy was shocked to hear Annabeth scream, all the while pulling down her shorts to leave only a pair of black, lace panties. "HELP! HELP ME! HEL—" She cut herself off, and began hitting herself with the pommel of her knife. She began to bruise immediately, ugly purple impressions forming on her arms and legs.

Percy stepped back, shocked. Finally, Annabeth banged her head against the wall, knocking herself out. Percy leapt to catch her and succeeded, stopping her just inches from the ground.

At that moment, the door flew off of its hinges to reveal Artemis.

 **Artemis**

She had barely heard the scream, her godly senses at their height. "HELP! HELP ME! HEL—" Annabeth Chase.

Artemis sprinted towards the Athena Cabin, pushing through unsuspecting campers to get there. She finally reached the cabin and ran inside. She found the door to Annabeth's room locked. So she blew it off its hinges.

Percy. Percy Jackson. Bare chested. Holding an exposed, unconscious Annabeth Chase. Bruised. Shirt cut open. Shorts around her ankles. Knife in hand. Percy was looking at her with pure shock. "Artemis," he started. "I didn't— She—" Artemis cut him off with a punch. The unsuspecting Percy Jackson hit the ground, out cold.

Artemis began to cry. The most honorable man she had ever met. _What would drive him to do this? What would— What? Why?_

She stayed like that for a number of minutes before drying her tears and standing. _He must be taken._ _She must be too, as proof._ Artemis put a hand on each of their wrists and flashed to Olympus.

 **Annabeth**

When Annabeth came to, she saw the entire Olympian council. She looked down, seeing that she was dressed once again. To her right was Percy, still unconscious. To her left, she saw lady Artemis.

"—And I found them both, looking just as you saw them before. Annabeth exposed, only panties left on with bruises everywhere, and Percy holding her, bare chested. I knocked Perseus out and brought them both here. And that would be the extent of my knowledge."

"He tried to rape me," Annabeth said weakly.

The council turned to her, and Artemis helped her to a standing position. "He slashed my shirt open with my knife, punched me, and then knocked me out with a hit to the head. Considering my panties were still on according to Artemis, I don't think he managed to get through with it."

The council was shocked. Poseidon, Hephaestus, Apollo, and Hermes shook their heads in disbelief. Hestia and Artemis hung theirs in disappointment. Aphrodite began crying. Athena, Hera, and Zeus were blazing with anger. A few others were impassive. Zeus raised his master bolt and prepared to strike.

"Brother, stop!" Poseidon yelled. Zeus looked at him. "He is still the savior of Olympus, despicable as he may be. Take his power, banish him, but don't kill him."

Zeus pondered. "Fine. We shall take a vote. In favor of death?" Five hands were raised, Athena and Zeus among them. In favor of banishment? Another five hands were raised. Artemis added her hand to the mix, making it six.

Zeus huffed. "Fine. Wake him up."

 **Percy**

Cold water splashed Percy's face. He bolted up, looking around, wondering where he was. He saw the throne room, with eleven angry faces looking at him. He saw Hestia, who hung her head. He turned to see Annabeth with a miniscule smile and cruel glint in her eyes. And he saw Artemis, refusing to meet his eyes.

"Perseus Jackson, you have been convicted of rape," Zeus boomed. "We will be taking your power and immortality. You—"

"Wait," Percy interrupted. "I don't even get to speak? I didn't rape her! She—"

"SILENCE," Zeus yelled.

Percy continued. "Hephaestus, you can't possibly believe this. Father, please."

Hephaestus massaged his temples. "I'm sorry, Percy, but the evidence is insurmountable. You can't fight this one."

Poseidon nodded. "He's right, Percy. You've disgraced Olympus. You've disgraced my bloodline. You are no son of mine." He added the last part quietly.

By this point the tears were flowing. "Artemis? You too? You're a huntress. You have to know I didn't beat her."

Annabeth quickly cut him off. "He BEAT me! Look at my arms!" She pulled up her sleeves to reveal purple, mottled skin.

At that, Artemis hung her head. "I'm sorry, Percy."

Zeus raised an eyebrow. "Finished? I'd very much like to take away your power now, you pathetic excuse for a—"

Percy's eyes hardened in anger. "I don't think so." He tried to flash away, but there was some kind of barrier.

Zeus laughed. "That won't work you stupid—"

Time froze in the throne room. Sweat already running down his face, Percy sprinted out of the throne room. He had to hold onto the stoppage for as long as possible. As soon as he made it passed the gates of Olympus, he flashed away, releasing the time barrier.

He appeared in a forest. Black spots creeping at his vision from exhaustion, he tried to find cover. "Anaklusmos," he whispered at a barely audible level. His armor deployed. "Chameleon," Percy whispered even quieter. As his armor turned a mottled green to match his surroundings, the world faded into oblivion.

 **Welp, that's that. I kinda got that idea in the middle of the story, but I think it's a good one and am definitely gonna be rolling with it. I hope you guys like it, I figured Percy needed a healthy dose of pain. As always, review and suggest! Thanks so much for reading, I'll try to be out with a new chapter soon.**

 **~A**


	9. Chapter 9 - Allies

**Back again.** **Huge shoutout to TheYoLO man. He's got PM disabled so I couldn't thank him personally, but it's reviews like yours that keep me going! Thanks! Anyway, back to the story. As always, read, review, and enjoy!**

 ****TRIGGER WARNING: More mentions of rape in this chapter****

* * *

 **Artemis**

The throne room was in shambles. It was your classic panic movie scene, think 'Troll in the Dungeon.' Everyone was shouting at each other until Zeus interrupted.

"SILENCE!" The throne room went silent. Everybody looked at Zeus expectantly. He gestured at Annabeth. "This," he began quietly. "Is one of the Heroes of Olympus. She helped Percy Jackson stave off the Titan Kronos. In return, he attempts to rape her. As soon as he is to be punished, he runs. On top of all this, Percy Jackson has domain over time. He obviously has known for a while if he has the power to hold us in place for that long. Percy Jackson holds too much power. He is too dangerous, and he must die!" The speech had crescendoed to a yell, showing Zeus's anger. And maybe, just maybe, showing his fear.

All but three of the gods roared in approval. Poseidon, who nodded, accepting the fate of his son. Hephaestus, who put his head in his hands, and Artemis herself. Artemis was still shocked. _Why would he do this? He didn't seem to be insane. The first times he had seen Annabeth were no problem. What pushed him over the edge? I thought he was over Annabeth. I thought—_

"Artemis? Did you hear me?"

Artemis was ripped from her thoughts by Zeus. She shook her head. "I'm sorry father, I did not."

Worry wreathed Zeus's face, but only for an instant. "We need your hunters to find Percy Jackson. The other gods will look, but you may be the only ones capable. You must leave with your hunters at once."

Artemis winced. "Please, lord Zeus, give my hunters the night to rest. They will not be able to hunt well when they are suffering exhaustion."

Zeus pondered for a moment, then nodded. "Very well. Meeting adjourned."

Artemis watched as the gods flashed away one by one. Soon, only she, Hephaestus, and Annabeth remained. Hephaestus looked up at her, pain clear in his eyes. Artemis sighed and turned to Annabeth. "I'm going to flash you back to your cabin, okay?" She made sure to say this very gently.

Annabeth tentatively nodded. Artemis waved her hand, flashing Annabeth back to the

cabin of Athena. She was about to flash back to the hunt when she heard Hephaestus's voice from across the room.

"Do you think he did it?"

Artemis sighed. "I don't know. I think so. Annabeth is an honorable woman, I doubt she would lie about something this serious. Especially considering she and Percy are close friends. Percy had a motive as well, she had rejected him a few weeks back."

Hephaestus sighed. "But? There has to be a but if you don't know."

Artemis nodded. "It just doesn't add up. He's had three weeks to do this shit, but he never did it. It's not like this was the perfect opportunity, or some shit. The Hunt was in Camp Half Blood, and Percy isn't an idiot. Either he was possessed or he didn't do it."

Hephaestus nodded. "He really showed he believed he was innocent. I've grown to trust the boy. While I agree that he probably did it, I think there is hope. There's always hope."

Artemis sighed. "That, there is. No promises, but I will try my best to prove his innocence. It's just going to be awfully tough when I don't believe it. Goodbye, Hephaestus."

Artemis flashed back to find the sun setting. The Hunt was deserted. _Must be mealtime._ She walked towards her tent. It had been a long day. Suddenly, she heard a noise from her left. She turned to see a figure sitting on a stump, sobbing. When she got closer, she recognised it to be Thalia.

"Thalia?" Artemis was worried. "Are you alright?"

Thalia turned to her, tears streaming down her face. "He didn't do it. M'lady, Percy didn't do it. Please, believe me. He didn't do it. He didn't—"

She was cut off as another layer of sobs wracked her body.

Artemis put her hand on Thalia's shoulder, sighing. "Thalia, the evidence—"

"I had—" Thalia sobbed again. "I had a dream. It was Annabeth, with a shadow on either side of her. They were whispering in her ears. After a few moments, she collapsed screaming, then I woke up. Please. Prove it wasn't Percy. Prove . . . Prove . . ."

She began to sob again. Artemis pondered. "I'll see what I can do, Thalia, but as of now, Percy is guilty. I'm sorry. He's a man. You should be used—"

Thalia wiped her tears, eyes filling with anger. "Really? That's your reason? After everything he has done for us? All of the kindness you have seen him show? The fact that he is literally the only man the Hunt has been on good terms with for a millenia? But no. He's a filthy male. And they rape women. Typical."

Artemis stepped back as though she had been slapped. _Don't cry. Stay strong._

"You—" Artemis's voice broke. "You are out of line, lieutenant."

Thalia stood up and glared. "You're right. I am. Sorry if my presumption of innocence offends you." She stormed off, tears still streaming down her face.

Shocked, Artemis turned around and made her way to her tent. She discarded her bow, took off her quiver, undressed, and fell into bed. Only then did she begin to cry. It had been a long day. A long day indeed.

 **Hephaestus**

Back at his forge, Hephaestus was building away his sorrow. He glanced at the screen next to him, broadcasting Hephaestus TV. He had purposefully told his team to avoid covering the "trial." Heph was angry about that. _They should have at least given the boy a chance to speak. He's a hero, after all._

Anyway, the network was covering the Capture the Flag game. Hunt vs Campers. A notable absence was Thalia Grace. Hephaestus watched as Annabeth carried the flag across the center boundary, covered by the Stoll Brothers. The other campers were hugging her and cheering, but Hephaestus couldn't help but notice the sad looks on the faces of the Stolls. The camera cut to Annabeth, a close up on a smiling face. Not an ounce of pain in her eyes. Hell, the Stolls looked more like rape victims than her. Hephaestus narrowed his eyes, turning away in internal conflict.

He turned to a different screen, a map of the world tracking his notable creations. _Everything seems in order._ About to turn away, he froze. _The tracker._ Hephaestus had installed a tracker on Percy's armor, unbeknownst to him, so Hephaestus could find him if ever captured. On top of these precautions were a small camera in the eye of the helmet and a vitals scanner.

"Computer. Locate Project Anaklusmos. Authorization code 8008135."

He watched as the map changed and zeroed in on a forest in Vermont. There was a lone, blue dot. Hephaestus inhaled sharply. "Scan his vitals."

He watched as information flooded the screen. _Condition: Stable. Status: Unconscious. Heart Rate: 104 BPM._ Hephaestus breathed a sigh of relief.

"Activate Camera I." He watched as the vitals were shoved to the side and a screen showed up. It was dark, a bunch of trees and nothing more.

Hephaestus perked up. "Computer, show me camera readings from 2:20 today." About ten minutes before Artemis had flashed to Olympus.

"Retrieving footage," the monotone voice replied. Hephaestus leaned forward in anticipation. His spirits were deflated when the computer came back with an answer. "Error," said after a few moments. "Armor not deployed at the time of 2:20."

"Shit," Hephaestus swore under his breath. He leaned back in his chair, deflated. It was at that moment he realized he believed Percy. He sat there staring at the boy's vitals for a few moments before a smile broke out on his face. _It would be a shame,_ he thought, _if he got some help._

He cleared his workstation and got started.

 **Percy**

Percy sat up in a flash, breathing heavy. He looked around in a panic before relaxing when realizing he was alone. He stood up slowly, looking around. Suddenly, he heard a loud voice. "You have: 1 message. Playback?"

Percy nearly leapt right out of his armor as he scanned the clearing once again. He looked up, nobody above him. It wasn't until he saw a small blip in the top right of his helmet that he relaxed. The voice spoke again, and the blip moved with it. "You have: 1 message. Playback?"

 _Audio waves. My armor. My armor has a screen? Damn, I really am like Iron Man._ "Playback."

A video filled his vision. Hephaestus. He was about to close it in disgust, but something Hephaestus said stopped him.

"Percy. Before you close this in disgust, I want you to know I believe you. Please hear me out." Pausing, Percy decided to hear him out as he continued. "There's a little something called the presumption of innocence. While the other gods might not care, I do. Artemis is also trying to prove your innocence, believe it or not. Anyway, I'm going off on a tangent. Right now, your vitals are stable, and you're in Vermont. I want to help you. Whether it be prove your innocence or exact revenge, I want to help you. If you want to contact me, just tell the computer to "Call Hephaestus." I should be available. If not, good luck. Signing off."

Percy sat for a while before a grim smile filled his face. An ally. "Call Hephaestus."

Four rings later, Hephaestus's face filled the screen. "Is it working alright, can you see me?" he asked.

"Yeah, I can."

Hephaestus nodded. "Good. I designed this transmitter last night. The armor was never meant to call, that screen was just there so you could record and playback video. I had to remotely upgrade your armor."

Percy raised an eyebrow. "Cameras?"

Hephaestus smiled sheepishly. "Yeah. I installed a tracker, first person camera, and scanner. Potentially dangerous in the wrong hands, but my security is airtight."

Percy nodded. "Next time, tell me, but okay." He paused. "So you believe me?"

"I do."

"Then will you hear my testimony? I doubt anyone but Artemis would listen to you, so keep it quiet. We don't want the rest of them knowing you're with me."

Hephaestus seemed to agree. "Tell me what really happened."

And so Percy recounted the events, from Annabeth bringing him to her cabin to beating herself with the pommel of a knife and knocking herself out.

"And so I leapt forward to catch her, keep her head from hitting the ground. At that moment, Artemis burst in. I tried to explain myself, but she knocked my ass out. Next thing I knew, I was in front of the council."

Hephaestus shook his head in shock. "She's insane. That bitch is insane. Percy, I'll clear your name if—"

"Don't. Keep it between yourself and Artemis. Zeus clearly fears me for my power now. He wouldn't care about a demigoddess enough to persecute me."

Hephaestus winced. "Right. He's got the hunt on your tail right now, and the gods want you dead. I'd lay low for the time being. Is there anything else I can do besides communicating with Artemis?"

Percy smiled cruelly. "There is, actually. I need a new helmet. It should be able to fit on my armor and function exactly like this helmet. But I want a different appearance. I want it to be untraceable to me and terrifying. This helmet is intimidating. I want this one to be different, I want it to become a symbol of fear."

Hephaestus raised an eyebrow. "I can do that. I can make a scary helmet. But the whole symbol of fear thing is up to you. You need to make it scary, make it recognisable."

Percy's smile widened. "Oh, I will. Don't you worry. How quick can you have it done?"

"Oh, a few hours. I already have the blueprint, so it shouldn't be a problem," Hephaestus said dismissively.

Percy nodded. "Thanks, Heph. I'm glad we're allies in this."

Hephaestus smiled. "Don't worry about it, Percy. It's about time some justice was brought to Olympus."

"Alright, thank you."

"Wait, Percy! I just had an idea. If you are willing to give up your armor for a few hours, I can give it the ability to morph from one form to the next. From one helmet to another. I could also make a few tweaks to the armor itself to better match the change."

Percy mulled it over. _That would certainly make things easier . . ._

"Alright. I think I can survive a few hours. Anaklusmos." Percy's armor retracted into its gauntlet form. "How can I get this to you?" He could no longer see Hephaestus, but he could hear him.

"Sit tight for a few minutes," the gauntlet replied. Percy did just that.

After a few moments, a large, bronze bird fluttered to the ground next to Percy. It folded its wings, and a hatch on its back opened.

"Put the gauntlet in there. This is the end of communication between us until I can get the gauntlet back to you. I should have the armor back to you by nightfall. Do your best to survive."

"That, I will. End call."

With that, Percy put the gauntlet into the bird and watched as it flew away. That was his lifeline. Now, he was truly isolated. He checked his internal clock. Noon. _Nightfall isn't too far. I believe the sun is supposed to set around 8._ His eyes widened as he looked down to find himself no longer in the shade of the canopy. He quickly ducked under a tree. He sat there a while longer, thinking about what he was going to do when he got his hands on the gods.

 **Artemis**

"I saw him, sis. He's in Vermont, the Green Mountain National Forest. You should be able to flash there no problem, there isn't a mortal presence right now."

Artemis perked up as she heard Apollo's voice in her mind. _Thank you brother. We'll get on that right away._

Artemis had silenced her internal debate. _The boy is guilty,_ she had decided. _I'm not about to doubt a victim of rape. I'm going to find him and kill him._

 _What happened to presumption of innocence? What happened to justice? What happened to Percy's testimony?_

Artemis perked up in surprise. _Diana? Why are you troubling me with this?_

 _Because your own debate hasn't been silenced, and you know that. Your loyalty to women blinds you. I believe the boy is innocent._

 _Shut up! I'm not blinded, and I refuse to let a knockoff of my true self to lecture me on justice. Get out of my head!_

Diana didn't respond. Artemis felt a pang of guilt, knowing she had hurt her counterpart. But that didn't matter at the moment. Right now, she had to track down a dangerous male.

"Hunters!" She called to the hunt. "We are facing something rather powerful today. Orders to kill on sight, currently in a Vermont forest. Annabeth Chase's would-be rapist."

A few hunters gasped at that. Thalia stepped forward. "We're hunting Percy?"

The hunt broke out in whispers. Artemis sighed. "Yes. We are."

Thalia glared at her. "No! I won't! He's innocent!"

Artemis rolled her eyes. "Thalia, these are direct orders from your father. If you have a problem with it, take it up with him."

Before she could respond, Artemis raised her hand and teleported the hunters to the outskirts of the forest. She turned to the hunt. "Tread carefully, this is a dangerous man."

Before Thalia could get a word in, she turned and ran into the forest. Artemis turned to Phoebe, who was running side by side with her. "Release the dogs."

"Yes M'lady." Artemis's enchanted dogs were searching the forest in no time. Artemis smiled. Now, it was only a matter of time.

 **Percy**

Percy was bored. About an hour had passed of him just staying put, waiting for night to fall. More importantly, waiting for his armor. He took out his swords and admired them. Realizing he didn't want to be recognised, he cast a glamour on them. They now both appeared identical, save the Ancient Greek names carved into their pommels. Two black katanas. Percy swung them around. They balanced just like normal, they were just thinner. It was just a glamour after all. Percy nodded, satisfied. He doubted the swords would be recognisable now.

His thoughts were interrupted when a large, white dog burst into the clearing. They regarded each other for a moment before the dog howled. Percy's eyes widened, and he turned to run. Before he could run, however, he was surrounded by a ring of hunters. His eyes narrowed, he clenched his swords tightly. Artemis stepped forward.

"Percy," she started. "I don't want to kill you. Just turn yourself in, Zeus will show mercy and only take your powers. You know that you deserve it deep down. You tried to rape a woman."

"I DIDN'T DO IT! I DID NOT!" Percy's eyes flared red and all but one of the hunters drew their bows. Percy made a mental note of that. _Thalia._ Percy continued. "Whatever happened to presumption of innocence? Innocent until proven guilty? Annabeth is insane and a liar. I did not attempt to rape her, if anything, it's the other way around."

Artemis rolled her eyes. "Nothing you say makes sense. You have been proven guilty, and a woman can't rape a man."

Percy sighed. "You're a fucking dumbass."

It was Artemis's turn for anger. "Fire," she growled.

Not a single arrow flew toward Percy. Artemis was shocked to turn and see every one of her hunters frozen in place. Percy took the opportunity to wink at Thalia. She got the message and acted frozen.

"I held the entire Olympic Council in time," Percy said. "What makes you think a few hunters would be any effort?"

Artemis yelled and fired her own bow. Percy just stopped the arrow, ducked, and let it sail harmlessly over his head. He looked over his shoulder at it and laughed. "Is that the best you can do?"

Seeing red, Artemis sprinted towards him, drawing her knives. The pair met with a crash, Percy fighting with his now glamourless swords and Artemis with her celestial bronze knives. They fought like a whirlwind, faster than the human eye could see.

For 15 minutes, they battled back and forth. Finally, Percy spotted an opening. He noticed that Artemis was keeping a very wide base when she could, probably to improve stability against his godly strength. She forgot, however, that he was agile too. So the next time she gave him the opening, he slid under her, through her legs, and slashed at her exposed back. Yelling in pain, Artemis whirled around just in time to see Percy's fist hurtling towards her face.

Artemis fell to the ground, out cold. Percy turned to the hunters. "I'm going to release you, and you are going to run. Back to Camp Half Blood, or just far away from here. Your mistress will be joining you." He released them.

None of them moved. Phoebe spoke up. "We will not stand by and let you violate our mistress!"

Percy was about to retort, but Thalia beat him to the punch. "He's innocent, you skank! He will not violate Artemis!"

Percy raised his hand. "Peace, Thalia." He turned to Phoebe. "Have some faith in me, will you? I fought by your side against Kronos. You took orders from me then, yet not now? Anyway, I digress. You can stay if you'd like."

Artemis began to come to, anger in her eyes. Her anger vanished, replaced with fear as she saw Percy's blade at her throat. "You are beaten," he growled.

Artemis nodded shamefully. "That, I am."

Percy began channelling energy into Riptide, as Countercurrent was at Artemis's throat. Fear became more pronounced in her face as she saw this. Magically charged wounds could be almost impossible to heal. "What are you doing?" She asked.

Percy's face was wrought with concentration. "Go to Hephaestus," he said quietly. "He will tell you what really happened. As for this," he gestured with Riptide. "This is a reminder."

The blade was fully charged for what he planned to do. He moved Riptide to her throat. Artemis steeled herself, closing her eyes and preparing for the worst. She was surprised when Percy moved the blade to her upper arm and made a painful but shallow cut. He nodded, satisfied. "A reminder that one of your useless males has bested you. It will scar, and not even Apollo will be able to heal it for years to come," he spat.

A range of emotions passed through her face, ending with respect and a little something else mixed in. Lust? It passed in an instant. She stood and bowed respectfully as the Hunters gasped. Percy laughed internally. Clearly, they had never seen their prideful mistress bow to anyone. Percy returned the gesture.

"Now," he said. "Leave this place in peace. Don't tell the gods about it, please. Go to Hephaestus. He'll tell you of my innocence. Examine your memories of Annabeth's injuries and you will see the truth."

Artemis nodded. "You win this time, Perseus." He watched as the Hunt flashed away.

Percy laughed to himself rather humorlessly. Suddenly, he saw a Celestial Bronze bird flying through the sky. With that, his already good mood got even better. _It's judgement day. And the gods have plenty of crimes to pay for._

* * *

 **Bang, another chapter for you guys. Told you I wouldn't be busy! Anyway, I know I'll get some hate for the whole "His fatal flaw is loyalty, he doesn't like revenge, blah blah blah." Percy never really liked the majority of the gods. And now that this whole thing has happened, he downright hates most of them, save Hephaestus, Artemis, and maybe even his father. Anyway, a certain bitch goddess is first on his list. Hope you'll enjoy! As always, review and suggest.**

 **~A**


	10. Chapter 10 - Love and Justice

**Here we are again. A few things to address based on my reviews.**

 **First is Percy swearing an oath on the Styx. The Big 3 weren't punished for having children when they broke their oath, their children were punished. From what I've seen, while something bad might happen, it doesn't affect the god much. As for making Annabeth swear, the gods just didn't care enough.**

 **Second is Apollo being the God of Truth. Alright, you got me. I forgot about that aspect in his domain. I'll try to cover that plot hole later, but right now it's just kinda there. Sorry!**

 **Okay, now that that's out of the way, read, review, and enjoy!**

 ****TRIGGER WARNING: More mentions of rape in this chapter****

 **OBLIGATORY DISCLAIMER: I do not own PJO, HOO, or any of their characters. Those rights belong to Rick Riordan**

* * *

 **Percy**

Deep into the night, Percy was latched to the Palace wall, in full armor. Athena had some good security, but her love for grandiose architecture was her downfall. The building was stupidly easy to climb. On top of that, she was no Hephaestus. With all of the upgrades Hephaestus added to his armor, including infrared (thermal) and ultraviolet (night) vision. He could also zoom in on things he deemed suspicious, due to the high-res camera.

Putting his ultraviolet and thermal to use, he scanned the area. He was already about halfway up the building, that had taken him about an hour to achieve. Athena built this all herself, so Hephaestus didn't have any schematics he could go off of like he could with other Gods. His armor was magnificent. He had the opportunity to look at it in the reflection of a lake after putting it on. All he had to do was say "Phobos" to switch back and forth between his armors.

In "Phobos Form," as Percy was calling it, his armor underwent some change. It went from black and grey to just black, with much more plating. It also appeared much thicker, almost stronger in order to give an opponent the illusion they were up against something big. The plating did not resemble that of ancient warriors, but instead had a more futuristic, cybernetic touch. In the center of his chest, the Greek letter psi (Ψ) glowed red. This letter has become the symbol for psychology, a fact Percy thought fitting because fear is in the mind. His hands glowed red as well, and Percy could stop his hands and the Ψ from glowing at will. This was good for when he didn't want to be detected. **(A/N: To see my inspiration for Phobos Armor, search "** _ **Iron Man in black by deviationanonymous**_ " **on Google)**

His helmet was an entirely new innovation. Keeping with the whole cybernetic theme, Hephaestus had gone all out in terms of creativity. The helmet came with a black hood, not unlike that of a hoodie. It covered the back of Percy's head as well as some of the top, yet did not restrict movement or vision. From there, the front of the helmet was made of a bunch of hexagons. There was one in the center of the mask, then another sprouting from each side of the center. From there, more sprouted from each side of those hexagons. Each of those hexagons was a small screen, feeding Percy different data. From the outside looking in, they just looked pure black with grey outlines. In the middle of the center hexagon was a glowing red Delta (Δ). Like his hands and the Ψ, he could stop it from glowing at will. Considering Δ can also mean change, Percy liked this touch. To strips of black metal traced his jawline before meeting at his chin. Small twin blades extended from each of these, looking almost like teeth. They covered portions of his mouth. Where the two strips of metal met at his chin, two small red lights could be seen. This barely illuminated the meeting of the strips, making them look like mandibles because they did not quite meet in the middle. They were still two separate pieces of metal. The helmet met with his armor at his neck, seemingly a seamless transition. **(A/N: I think I did a good job, but a picture is worth a thousand words. To see my inspiration, search** " _ **Ranger, by Jie Liou"**_ **on Google)**

In the time I've taken to describe his armor, Percy has made decent progress. He's found a pattern in Athena's defenses, and has made more progress in the last minute than he had in the last half hour. About five minutes later, he was at the top. He scanned the roof for traps, and found motion sensing lasers everywhere but a single spot in the floor. He zoomed in on that spot to find a trapdoor. He laughed to himself.

"Too easy." His voice came out deep and growly, almost more beast than human. He was currently using one of the voice changers from his armor. It disguised his voice in the best way possible, adding a fear factor to the mix. Percy vaulted from the side of the roof and landed perfectly, soundlessly on the trapdoor. Muting the noise, he kicked the trapdoor in. Once again landing softly, he scanned the room for traps. There were none. Smiling to himself, Percy nodded. _Too vain. She thinks nobody could possibly break her defenses._

He crept through the palace soundlessly, searching for Athena's bedroom. He checked his internal clock. 1:53. _She's asleep by now._ After about ten minutes of wandering, he found what he was looking for. Athena's bedroom was surprisingly unprotected. He had underestimated her pride. Now she was just stupid. He quietly opened the door, and with footfalls like a cat, walked in.

There was the majestic goddess Athena, drooling in her sleep whilst completely topless. Once upon a time, Percy would have averted his eyes, but now he just drank it in. The breasts of one of his most bitter enemies were on full display. Muting his voice as not to wake her, Percy spoke into his helmet.

"Hephaestus, are you getting this?"

Heph's face popped up on one of his hexagonal screen. A wide grin was on his face. "You better believe I'm getting this."

Percy matched his smile. "Well save it somewhere because it's about to get better."

Metal spikes extending from his fingertips like claws, Percy raked his hands across the wall, creating a quiet, yet ominous scratch. "Chameleon," he whispered into his helmet. As his armor camouflaged, Percy unmuted his voice. He watched as Athena sat up straight, eyes stormy.

"Who's there," she asked in a haughty tone, obviously forgetting she was topless. Percy scratched the wall again. Athena looked over but saw nothing there.

"I am an Olympian, and a powerful one at that. You don't want to cross me," Athena said in a more worried tone.

Percy smiled and deactivated chameleon. Willing his Ψ to glow red, Percy spoke in his guttural voice. "Actually, I do. It's judgement day, Goddess of War. And you have a lot to pay for." The fear grew in Athena's eyes as he willed his hands, helmet, and Δ to glow red as well. She sent a blast of power at him, but he ran directly through it, his armor taking the hit. The last thing Athena saw was That hexagon filled helmet before Percy's fist hurtled into her face.

Seeing Athena was out cold, Percy nodded, satisfied. He began charging magic into each of his blades, looking to make another unhealable wound. He sighed internally. He wished he could just kill her, but she was still an important goddess, whether or not he liked it. Plus, fear of him would grow if she lived to tell the tale. Percy might have been angry, but he was still rational.

Walking over to the door, Percy found a light switch and flipped it on. Luckily, the shades were closed. Nobody would see. While still charging his blades, he turned to see boobs, completely illuminated by light. Percy laughed to himself.

"For a virgin goddess, she's sure got a pair, huh Heph?"

Hephaestus was practically drooling. "Yeah. She's a bitch, but damn."

He paused for a second before asking Percy a teasing question. "What, have you got some kind of thing for maiden goddesses?"

Percy gave him a sideways glance. "What are you talking about?"

Hephaestus smiled. "I've seen the way you look at Artemis. And I don't think you would have let her off so easy for the whole rape thing if you didn't like her."

Percy sighed. "Look, Heph, now isn't the best time to talk about me finding love. Plus, she's a maiden goddess. Maiden. Oath."

Hephaestus raised his hands in submission. "All I'm saying is that if she cares enough to try and prove you innocent, she might feel the same way."

Percy didn't respond to that. Sensing his blades were at sufficient power, he walked up to Athena. On one cheek, he carved a Ψ with the point of his sword. In the other, he carved a Δ. The magic overcharge caused the wound to instantly be cauterized, keeping it from bleeding. However, the golden symbols in her cheeks would be there for at least a century. _Fitting. A fine calling card. Olympus will know fear._

He left the palace the way he came in, through the roof. Unseen, unheard. Perfect.

 **Artemis**

The Hunt had taken the night off. Everyone but Thalia was deflated. She hid it well, but Artemis could tell how excited she was that her mistress was considering the innocence of a man. Artemis still had to step back and think about that. _I'm believing a man over a woman in the context of rape. What's wrong with me?_

A voice inside of her head answered rather snarkily. _Yeah. You're finally seeing Justice._

Artemis was alone in her tent, so she took the opportunity to retreat into her own mind. Her mindscape resembled a forest, one of the places she felt most serene. She drank it in, calming herself.

"It's about time you get a fucking man," Artemis heard a voice behind her. She whirled around to find Diana emerging from the forest. She was a spitting image of Artemis, choosing to take her 16 year old form. **(A/N: Artemis prefers her 18 year old form in this fic.)** Rather than Artemis's modest hunters outfit, Diana sported a crop top with short shorts. She was a picture of a modern teenage girl, Artemis's carefree counterpart.

"Seriously," she said, walking lazily towards Artemis. "I know I have this whole oath thing too, but I've found ways to get around it."

A few of Diana's memories flashed through Artemis's head. "Don't remind me," she shuddered.

Diana laughed. "Come on, loosen up! A guy's head between your legs would be good for you."

"Stop it. I don't have feelings for Perseus. He's an honorable man, nothing more," Artemis snapped.

Diana smiled. "You know that isn't true. You have feelings for him, and I can see why." She closed her eyes and moved her hips absentmindedly, a lazy smile on her face. "What a man. You shouldn't let me out, I may just pounce on him," she continued, licking her lips.

Artemis's eyes flared. "He is MINE." he growled. Realizing what she had just said, she clapped her hands over her mouth.

Diana smiled and winked. "Yeah, he is. Go get em." She flashed out of existence before Artemis could attack her.

Growling in frustration, Artemis retreated from her mind, back into reality. She lay awake in bed for an hour before finally drifting to sleep.

* * *

 _ **Artemis, your presence is requested at the Olympic Council.**_

Artemis groaned, checking her internal clock. 4:00 AM. She groaned again, louder this time. Dressing herself at the snap of a finger, she flashed to Olympus to see the gods panicking. The throne room was in disarray, and she seemed to be the last one to arrive. Zeus called down a clap of thunder after a few moments, and the gods fell silent. All but one that is. Athena was still crying, covering her face.

Zeus began to speak. "About 2 hours ago, Athena was attacked in her room. She describes her attacker as a powerful being, able to withstand a blast of 75% of her power without even flinching. It spoke in a gutteral, beastly voice, and its face was hidden by a hood. The only features she could make out were a glowing Δ on its face and a glowing Ψ on its chest. It knocked her out, and that was the last thing she remembered before waking up and coming to me."

Artemis sat back in her seat in shock. _This is not good. What could have so much power to overcome even Athena and all of her security?_ The other Gods had similar reactions. Some comforted Athena, others just murmured among themselves.

That's when Athena began to speak. "He told me it was judgement day. And that I—" She stuttered. "That I had a lot to pay for." She lowered her hands from her face slowly. Artemis, along with the other gods, gasped. Athena had a golden Delta on her left cheek and a Psi on her other. "He left me with these. I don't know what it means. Change. Mind. I take it that's what they intended with these symbols." She broke down crying once again.

Apollo rushed over, attempting to heal them. He turned back to the group, worry written all over his face. "It's magically charged. Won't be healed for maybe a century."

The gods murmured among themselves for another few moments before Artemis spoke up. "Father, is this meeting purely informational or are we going to do something about this threat?"

Tired, Zeus responded in kind. "I guess the only thing to do is increase security at your palaces. Meeting dismissed, for now. Be careful, everybody."

One by one, the gods flashed away. Artemis was about to flash away when she felt a hand grasp her wrist. Eyes burning, she turned to see who dare touch her. When she saw Hephaestus, the fire was replaced with confusion, then realization. She nodded, and Hephaestus flashed her back to his palace.

(Line Break)

Shock had become a second nature to Artemis in these past few days. Right now was no different as Hephaestus finished Percy's testimony. She immediately searched her memory, coming upon the image she was looking for. Annabeth, lying in Percy's arms. Looked at Percy's hands, then at Annabeth's many bruises. Many _small_ bruises. Artemis cursed herself, coming back to reality. "He's innocent. Annabeth's bruises, they're too small to be from Percy's fists. We need to tell our father—"

Hephaestus shook his head and sighed. "Zeus won't listen. Not now that he knows the power Percy has, he won't stop until he's killed. The rape scandal was a nothing to him. He didn't care about some demigoddess girl getting violated. He only punished Percy to appease you and Athena. Now, Percy is a challenge to his power."

Artemis put her head in her hands. "Fuck."

Hephaestus raised an eyebrow. "What's up?"

Artemis tried her best to hold back tears. "I just fucked up. I let my hate for men and bias towards women blind me. I should have looked into it more, tried to help him. I really want to tell him that I'll change my ways, that I won't prejudge men anymore, and above all—" Artemis choked a little. "I'm sorry." She began to cry.

 **Percy**

Artemis was an ugly crier. Percy watched, split between amused, satisfied, and sentimental. After a few moments, he decided to break the silence. "Well, that's touching."

Artemis's head snapped up, seeing his screen. His face paled as her head turned to the side. _My location._

He whispered into his helmet. "Heph, you might want to give us a bit of privacy."

The virtual Hephaestus nodded before disappearing from view. Percy just smiled. "The audio and the first person as well."

He could hear Hephaestus grumble into the speaker before abruptly cutting contact, seconds before Artemis came into view.

Percy stepped back, awkwardly. All was silent for a minute before Artemis leapt towards him and caught him in a bone-crushing hug, crying on his chest. Percy hugged her back, gently stroking her hair. "Anaklusmos," he whispered, barely audible. His armor melted back into the gauntlet as Artemis cried.

"I'm so sorry Percy. I'm so—" She choked.

"Shh," Percy rubbed her back soothingly. "It's alright, Arty. You're forgiven. You're a friend. I have so few of those now."

Artemis stepped back, and blinked in surprise. "Just like that? How? I—"

Percy winced. "Loyalty is my fatal flaw. I don't have too many people to be loyal to anymore."

 **Artemis**

"I don't have too many people to be loyal to anymore."

This boy was in pain. He could see it in his eyes. So many friends had been taken from him in the War. So many more taken by this accusation. Even his own father, gone. Who did he have now? Hephaestus? The Stolls? And her. What was she to him? A friend? Enemy? Partner?

She was broken from her thoughts by his voice. "You don't hate me, do you?"

She turned and saw a few tears trickling down his unprotected face. Her instincts **(A/N and just a bit of Diana)** took over as she rushed him and tackled him in a hug. Before she knew what was going on, she pulled him in, kissing him. She closed her eyes, running her hands through his hair. He tasted like the sea breeze, like salt water. His strong arms wrapped around her as he deepened the kiss. All of Artemis's thoughts were interrupted by pure bliss. After about a minute, she pulled away.

Percy lay beneath her in shock, eyes wide. "Wow."

Artemis smiled. The conflict that was in her before was replaced with acceptance. She loved this boy, this man. Worry flashed through her eyes. "Do—" she paused, out of breath. "Do you have feelings for me as well?"

Percy laughed. "Yeah, I have since the Time incident. I've just been fighting them. I didn't want it to be true because I knew I'd get turned into a jackalope, or that you'd laugh in my face, or that—"

Artemis silenced him with another kiss. She was surprising herself with her enthusiasm. _Just go with it._

Inwardly shrugging, Artemis let herself melt into the kiss, humming contentedly. Percy pulled her closer, drinking in the moment. Pulling away, she mustered a breathy sigh. "You don't need to worry about that anymore."

A smile appeared on Percy's face, but it was quickly replaced by an expression of panic. "Your brother!"

Artemis turned to the east to see a rosy sky. The sun hadn't risen yet, but it was close. Artemis swore under her breath. "I wish we had more time . . ." she trailed off. "It's alright. I'll find you when I can. Until then—"

Percy was the one to go in this time, one quick parting kiss. "Until then."

Artemis nodded and flashed away.

* * *

 **Percy**

Percy couldn't get Artemis out of his head as he trained. He knew he needed to. Big night ahead of him. He needed to concentrate, yet couldn't wipe this stupid grin off of his face. He was snapped from his stupor by Hephaestus, in the bottom right corner of his helmet.

"Percy, I've been called to Olympus again. Would you like the first person view? Percy smiled, thinking back to the morning. He had watched the meeting through Hephaestus's eyes, laughing at the confusion of the gods, the fear in their eyes, the tears in Athena's. It had been his best experience since the allegation. Until Artemis, of course.

All these thoughts ran through Percy's mind in an instant as he responded. "Sure, I'd like to see what's up."

Hephaestus nodded, and his face was replaced by his line of sight. Climbing into a tree for shelter, as it was now broad daylight, he expanded Hephaestus's view to fit 75% of his screen, and tuned into the audio feed.

"Alright Heph, good to go." He watched as Hephaestus flashed away without a word.

This scene was much less chaotic than the one earlier this morning. The gods were sitting calmly, waiting for whatever news Zeus had. Hephaestus was not the last one there. Percy watched as Hermes, Ares, and Aphrodite flashed in one by one. The gods were quiet, seemingly in a somber mood from the morning.

Zeus was the first to speak. "Apollo? You have news?"

Apollo grimaced. "The Oracle spoke a prophecy just now."

The gods murmured among themselves. "Another prophecy? Already?"

Hephaestus spoke up. "Well, let us hear it then!"

Apollo sighed before beginning.

" _Seven half-bloods shall answer the call,_

 _To storm or fire, the world must fall,_

 _An oath to keep with a final breath,_

 _And foes bear arms to the Doors of Death._

 _A second foe is for the gods,_

 _Who lie defeated, against all odds,_

 _Fugitive and Vigilant must stand, set free,_

 _Enslave love by avenging, as it should be."_

* * *

 **Well, they're together! Also, hope my prophecy making skills. We'll see if you guys can figure that one out. I have two questions for you guys. Please leave your suggestions because I'm not sure what to do.**

 **First, should Artemis and Percy really be together just like that, or should it have been in the spur of the moment, something Artemis regrets?**

 **Second, what do I do about Artemis's oath? I need a way to get around that, suggestions are more than welcome.**

 **Finally, I've put a poll on my profile. Diana is going to play a part in this story, but it's up to you guys whether she plays a part in the pairing. I, personally, would love a Percy/Diana/Artemis pairing, it would create an interesting dynamic. But you guys are the readers so it's ultimately up to you. Check my profile to vote on the poll.**

 **Well that was a lot. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. As always, review, suggest, and enjoy!**

 **~A**


	11. Chapter 11 - Two Sides to the Same Coin

**Aight fools, I'm back. It's come to my attention that Artemis's oath wasn't made by her, but rather by Zeus. Forgot that bit. However, LordTroy (check him out if you're a writer, he's got some good story ideas) gave me an idea about how to get around an oath on the Styx, and it's a good one.** **So for this story, I'm gonna run with the idea that Artemis's Oath was on the Styx.**

 **In other news, the people have spoken! Diana is to be part of the pairing in the long run. As for the Pertemis relationship, you guys will see how that unfurls.**

 ****TRIGGER WARNING** - More mentions of rape**

* * *

 **Artemis**

The gods were silent. For once, they weren't thrown into a panic. They were analytical. Even Athena, who was branded earlier, was trying to figure this one out.

" _Seven half-bloods shall answer the call,_

 _To storm or fire, the world must fall,_

 _An oath to keep with a final breath,_

 _And foes bear arms to the Doors of Death._

 _A second foe is for the gods,_

 _Who lie defeated, against all odds,_

 _Fugitive and Vigilante must stand, set free,_

 _Enslave love by avenging, as it should be."_

 **(A/N: One more thing. Imma try to stay away from the first portion of the prophecy, The Prophecy of the Seven, because y'all already know what happens. I'll drop mentions of it occasionally so you guys know where we are, but nothing other than that. Also, I'm putting Diana's thoughts in bold to make it more clear)**

Apollo nodded grimly. "The oracle spoke this prophecy about a half an hour ago. It seems to be the Second Great Prophecy, the fabled Prophecy of The Seven."

Athena was the first to speak up. "The Romans. ' _Foes bear arms to the Doors of Death.'_ The Roman Camp and the Greek Camp."

She lifted her head. "Has anyone else's Roman identity been acting up lately?"

Artemis searched her mind. _**Hey, don't look at me, I have no clue. Roman camp is going along just like normal.**_

Artemis spoke to the group. "According to Diana, nothing out of the ordinary has happened at the Roman Camp. However, I have noticed that Diana has had increased presence in my mind recently."

The gods murmured in agreement before Zeus cut in. "I think the best option for the first portion of the prophecy a hands off approach. It's obviously meant for demigods, so we should focus on the second half of the prophecy."

The gods seemed to agree, all of them voiced their ascent. Artemis thought she noticed something cross Hera's face, but it was gone in an instant.

Zeus continued: "A lot has transpired today. I believe we should think on this prophecy for the night, and meet again tomorrow."

"Wait," Hera interrupted. "How do we know who the seven demigods will be?"

Zeus sighed. "We don't, Hera, why do you ask?"

"Well, I just don't want any of your spawn participating."

Several gods, mostly children of Zeus, narrowed their eyes. Artemis was included in that count. She spoke with an icy voice. "What is it that is so wrong with his spawn, Lady Hera?"

Hera snarled at her. "They are illegitimate."

Zeus stepped up. "That's enough! May I remind you that more than half of this council is made up of my 'spawn.' You forget your place, Hera."

Hera was opened her mouth with a look of fury on her face. However, she remained silent when she saw 8 more looks of anger reflected back at her.

"Well," Zeus snapped. "If we don't have any further objections, meeting is dismissed."

 **Percy**

Percy smiled rather grimly. He had a new target for the night.

* * *

Back in Phobos Armor, Percy crawled through one of Hera's windows. Her security was pretty easy to breach on the outside, leading Percy to believe there were plenty of traps on the inside. Hitting the floor softly, he muted his voice. "Heph, scan for traps, mechanical and magical."

Hephaestus nodded in his bottom right hexagon. Percy didn't think he ever slept, honestly. You couldn't tell. They were gods in fact, I guess they don't really need sleep. Who needs sleep when you have infinite stamina, infinite entertainment. Right now Hephaestus's entertainment was seeing Percy knock his sorry excuse for a mother down a peg.

"There's a vat of acid here, an energy vortex here, portal here . . ."

Percy watched as Hephaestus highlighted the traps in real time. He could see right in front of him what was normally hidden. Moments later, he was across the hall and into the next room. Hephaestus scanned for traps once again, sensing several. _The gods really are beefing up on security._

About an hour later, Percy finally reached Hera's bedchambers. It had been a long hour of weeding thought traps, including poison, lasers, and a horde of cows. Finally, his journey was coming to its climax. He checked the doorknob for traps, finding none. Smiling, he opened the door. He peered into the room to see a sleeping Hera. Muting his voice once again, Percy asked Hephaestus to scan for traps. He found a few, but not as many as the other rooms.

Pondering, Percy decided to freeze time around him. He walked through the room, dismantling all of Hera's traps, one by one. He was going to need the room to work. When he unfroze time, he was standing in a corner, relatively tired. He showered himself with a bit of water from his gauntlets, revitalizing him a little. Confident he had enough energy to complete the task at hand, he lit his armor up. Surprisingly enough, nothing happened. Hera remained fast asleep, snoring like a bear.

 **MATURE ASS SCENE. I'd say 18+, but I know y'all won't listen. So just read at your own discretion.**

Percy was split between amusement and frustration. He walked up to her, caressing her face with his gauntleted hand. "Wake up," he said softly. With his guttural voice filter, it came out more like a growl. Hera's eyes snapped open. Percy snapped his fingers, and golden rope appeared around her wrists and ankles. A gag appeared in her mouth, making it impossible to cry out for help.

"Don't bother struggling. They're designed just for you, you can't break them. I made them by myself," Percy remarked rather cruelly. It didn't help he was lying through his teeth. "You've been very naughty, Lady Hera. I think I'll teach you and your kingly husband a lesson you won't forget."

Percy's helmet began to retract, leaving his chin and mouth exposed. Without warning, he dematerialized the gag and began to ravage her mouth. He heard Hera squeal in protest, but the indignant shrieks soon gave way to resigned moans. _Damn,_ Percy thought. _She must get minimal attention from Zeus._

Rematerializing the gag, Percy pulled away. His helmet once again moved to cover his mouth. He ripped open Hera's nightclothes, leaving her entirely naked, still bound in golden bonds. "Now that that's over with, let's have some fun."

Percy drew both of his glamoured swords, charging them with magic. As he waited, he walked over to Hera's closet. To his delight, he found multiple vibrators. Pocketing the two largest ones, each about an inch and a half in diameter and 8 inches long, he walked over to a naked and struggling Hera.

Swords sufficiently charged, Percy went through his standard ritual, carving the Ψ into one cheek and the Δ into the other. Hera's muffled screams egged him on. Athena hadn't even been awake for this, Hera got all of the pain. Finally, Percy finished, and Hera sagged unconscious as he took the sword away.

"Oh no you don't," Percy muttered. He splashed water all over her face until she sputtered awake. "I don't think Lord Zeus gives you enough attention. It would be a shame for him to find out you think the same." A look of confusion crossed Hera's face, replaced quickly with horror when Percy brought out the vibrators.

"Who knows what Zeus will do when he finds his wife weak in the knees and covered in her own fluid. Who knows what the gods will think when they find out. I don't think you'll like it, but I know I will." With that, Percy plunged one of the vibrators into her bare pussy, turned onto its highest setting. Hera couldn't help but moan as it penetrated her. Her eyes widened as she realized her assailant wasn't finished. Percy stuck the second vibrating dildo straight up her ass, earning him a muffled shriek that gave way to a moan. Percy watched as Hera's eyes crossed with pleasure and pain.

"Yeah. Good enough. See you around, Lady Hera. I've got places to be." With a mock bow, Percy leapt through the window and flashed away.

 **END OF MATURE ASS SCENE. If you didn't read it, Percy stuck some vibrators inside Hera then branded her just like he did Athena.**

* * *

Percy appeared suddenly back in his forest. He looked to Heph's screen to see him a bit distracted. Percy caught wind immediately.

"Aw, come on Heph. That's your mother for crying out loud."

Hephaestus grinned sheepishly. "Hey, she's hot as hell and abused me for years. She deserves some punishment. Plus, you gotta let go of this whole family thing. Gods don't have DNA, it's not gross to us. Plus, Artemis is your cousin, so—"

Percy quickly muted Hephaestus's voice. "That's enough out of you, friend."

Suddenly, he heard a few bushes rustle. Probably just an animal, but he had to be alert. He quickly morphed his armor from Phobos to Daylight, drawing both of his swords. He watched the origin area of the sound very carefully. Remembering his thermal vision, he switched that on. Suddenly, a figure was clearly revealed by the red imprint of a heat signature. Coupled with his night vision, he could clearly make out a telltale bow and quiver. Smiling, he lowered his weapons. "Come on out, Moony, you can't hunt me."

He heard a growl before an arrow was launched towards his face. Still smiling, he caught it by the shaft. Artemis emerged from her hiding spot. "Don't call me Moony," she snapped. "And you've done me a favor. Now I don't need to go to all of the trouble to greet you."

Percy deactivated his armor as his smile widened. "What, is the almighty goddess of the Hunt too socially awkward to greet her boyfriend?"

Artemis's face was lit up by a furious blush. "No. I just wanted to sneak up on you."

Percy's grin vanished, but a glint remained in his eyes. "Right."

They were silent. "We are a thing now, right?" Percy was a bit nervous. "That kiss wasn't a spur of emotion?"

Artemis sighed. "I don't know. If we are going to be partners, we need to take it slow. I've never been with a man before. I don't know what to do."

Percy nodded. "Taking it slow sounds like a plan. Last girl I dated went insane, so I might wanna dial it back."

Artemis laughed, a clear sound that cut through the tension and awkwardness surrounding them. Percy couldn't help but smile. "So what now?"

Artemis smiled. "Lie down." She saw a nervous flash in Percy's eyes and laughed again. "I'm not going to hurt you."

Percy obliged, and Artemis lay next to him. Catching his eyes, Artemis pointed to the sky. "Look."

Percy did, and was surprised to see millions of bright stars floating above. He had been so focused on his work as a vigilante, he never had gotten the chance to look at the sky above his temporary home. Soaking it in, he spoke. "You don't get stars like this in New York City. Not even in Camp Half Blood. This . . ." He sighed to himself.

"It's untouched," Artemis finished. "Nature at its purest. It's beautiful, isn't it?"

Percy just nodded. They lay side by side for a while before Artemis curled up on her side and rested her head on his chest. The hand that was on top of her body moved to Percy, embracing him whilst simultaneously running the same hand up and down his chest. In response, Percy pulled her closer, encircling one arm around her waist. With his free hand, he began playing with her hair, softly running his fingers through it. At the same time, he brought his lips gently to the top of her head.

 **Artemis**

This was a new feeling. She was relaxed, more relaxed than she had been in millenia. Yet at the same time, she was energized. She was satisfied, but she wanted more at the same time. So many contradicting feelings were muddled together inside her, feeling Percy's arm around her waist, she felt safe. Feeling her own hand running down his body, she felt dominant. So many things were going on in her head.

 _ **Yeah, that's love, dummy. Enjoy it while it lasts, before our cockblock of a brother feels inclined to rise an hour early.**_

Artemis cursed mentally. _Right. Daylight savings time is over._ **(A/N: Might have done that wrong but the reference was too good not to add. Lmk if you get it)**

She kept her sentiments to herself, drinking in the fact that she could be with Percy, even if only for another hour. Those were her last thoughts before she nodded off.

* * *

"Artemis, wake up." Artemis's eyes opened to see Percy shaking her awake. She turned to see a rosy horizon and bolted upwards.

"Shit. How much time do we have?"

"Five minutes," Percy replied.

Artemis gave him a relieved smile. "Alright. Prepared for everything, huh."

Percy smiled back. "You know it."

She pulled him in for a quick kiss. When she pulled away, his eyes were glazed over. He shook his head, and his glazed eyes were replaced with wider ones. Artemis smiled sheepishly. "What? I said slow, not non-existent."

Percy's smile was the last thing she saw before she flashed away.

* * *

 **Hephaestus**

"Percy, I just got called for another meeting. First person?"

"You know it, Heph."

Hephaestus felt the familiar twinge as the camera lense in his eye and microphones in his ears came online. The boy was growing on him. He was a good kid, of kind heart. However, he also knew when revenge needed to be doled out. Hephaestus had been very entertained by the torment of both his mother and his former love interest. The boy was getting more cruel, and rightfully so.

Hephaestus flashed to the throne room after securing his palace. _Not even Percy can get into this one undetected._

Once again, the throne room was in a state of panic. Lying in the middle of the throne room was Hera, just as Percy had left her. Zeus had taken out the vibrators and clothed her in a blanket. Speak of the devil, he was walking over to Hephaestus with a look of worry on his face.

"Hephaestus, the demon struck again. He violated my wife." Zeus's face was beet red in anger. "We can't get the golden ropes around her hands and feet undone. Is this your work?"

Hephaestus feigned surprise. "Lord Zeus, I assure you I am not responsible for this. I will make sure that all of my forges are taken inventory of immediately in order to see if this rope was stolen. In the meantime . . ."

Hephaestus walked over to Hera, examining the ropes, and in turn, her. The gag had been removed from her mouth, but Hera still hadn't decided to speak. Her face was a scarlet red and she was trembling. Hephaestus reveled in it for a while longer, pretending to examine the ropes. Finally, he mumbled a few words and the ropes went slack. He turned to face the gods.

"It appears this is indeed my rope. I don't know how this demon stole it, but I will identify from where it was stolen as well as double the security on all of my forges." He addressed Zeus specifically now, "It will not happen again, milord."

Zeus sighed and slumped in his chair. "Keep us posted, Hephaestus."

Hephaestus just nodded, taking his seat. Hera flashed away, then came back a few moments later fully clothed. Still red in the face, she hadn't said a word. _It's 9:00. She was like that for hours after Percy got her. Really shows Zeus cares._

One by one, the rest of the gods flashed in. They sat silently until Apollo showed up, the last one. At that, Zeus began to speak.

"Our first order of business is to discuss the attack on my wife last night. The demon snuck into Hera's bedchambers, unclothed her, and stuck personal massagers into her . . ." Zeus paused. "Her two holes. Then, as you all can see, she was branded like Athena. She doesn't want to talk about her attack now, which is justified. However, this should serve as a reminder to upgrade your security and keep this thing out. Understood?"

The gods murmured their assent. Satisfied, Zeus continued. "Second order of business is this prophecy. Does anyone have any ideas?"

Silence.

After a few moments, Artemis sighed and spoke up. All the eyes in the room snapped too her. "The prophecy says ' _Fugitive and Vigilante must stand, set free.'_ Who's the only fugitive we know of at this time? And I think we all know what Vigilante is referring too." She gestured to Hera. "The prophecy is telling us that not only will we need to make peace with this Demon, but that we will have to free Percy Jackson."

* * *

 **And we're done with this chapter. This one was a bit tougher to write (and a bit shorter, sorry!), but I got it done. I've read so many fics where Artemis and Percy's relationship is so spontaneous. It's just like "Oh, they're together? Sex." I'm gonna not do that, because I think it's sloppy writing. I'm going to try to develop a realistic relationship here. I hope you guys like that. Anywho, thanks for reading, be sure to review and suggest!**

 **~A**


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